Plea for the Lords, Title page – Dedication
A PLEA for the LORDS: OR, A ſhort, yet full and neceſſary Vindication of the Judiciary and Legiſlative Power of the Houſe of Peeres, And the Hereditary juſt Right of the LORDS and BARONS of this Realme, to ſit, vote and judge in the high Court of PARLIAMENT. Againſt the late ſeditious Anti-Parliamentary printed Petitions, Libells and Pamphlets of Anabaptiſts, Levellers, Agitators, Lilburne, Overton, and their dangerous Confederates, who endeavour the utter ſubverſion both of Parliaments, King and Peers, to ſet up an Arbitrary Polarchy and Anarchy of their own new-modelling. By WILLIAM PRYNNE Eſquire, a Well-wiſher to both Houſes of Parliament, and the Republike; now exceedingly ſhaken and indangered in their very Foundations.
Prov. 22. 28.
Remove-not the ancient land-mark which thy fathers have ſet.
Prov. 22. 21.
My ſonne feare thou the Lord and the King, and meddle not with thoſe who are given to change; for their calamity ſhall riſe ſuddenly, and who knoweth the ruine of them both?
LONDON, Printed for Michael Spark, at the blue Bible in Green-Arbor. 164….
To all truly Honourable, and Heroick Lords and Peeres of the Realme of England, who are reall Patriots of Religion, and their Countrey.
Right Honourable,
THough true Nobility (alwayes founded inaOmnes pari forte naſcimur, ſolâ virtute diſtinguimur. Minucius Feli… Octo…. p. 123. Nobilitas ſola eſt ac unica virtus. Iuvenal. Satyr. 8. vertue and reall piety) needs no other tutelar Deity or Apologie, but it ſelfe, amongſt thoſe bOmnes boni ſemper Nobilitati favemus: & q…ia utile eſt reipub. Nobiles Homines eſſe dignos Majoribus ſuis, & quia valet apud nos clarorum Hominum & bene derepub. meritorum memoria, otiam mortuorum. Ci…ero Orat. pro P. Sex.ingenious Spirits, who are able to diſcerne or eſtimate its worth; yet the iniquity of our degenerated Age, and the frenzie of the intoxicated ignorant vulgar is ſuch, that it now requires the aſſiſtance of the ableſt Advocates to plead its cauſe, and vindicate the juſt Rights and Priviledges of the Houſe of Peeres, againſt thecLi…burne, Overton, and others. licentious Quills and Tongues of lawleſſe ſordid Sectaries, and Mechanick Levellers; who having got the Sword and reines into their hands, plant all their batteries and force againſt them, crying out like thoſe Babylonian Levellers of olddPſal. 137. 7. againſt the Houſe of Peeres, Raſe it, Raſe it, even to the foundation thereof, and lay it for ever levell with the very duſt; beholding all true Honor, worth and Nobleneſſe ſhining forth in your Honors heroick Spirits, with a malignant aſpect, becauſe they deſpaire of ever enjoying the leaſt ſpark thereof in themſelves, and proſecuting you with a deadly hatred, becauſe better and greater then ever they have hopes to be, unleſſe they can through trechery and violence make themſelves the onelyonly Grandees, by debaſing your higheſt Dignity, to the loweſt Peaſantry, and making the meaneſt Commoners your Compeers.
This dangerous ſeditious Deſigne hath ingaged me (the unableſt of many) out of my great affection to reall Nobility, and to the preſent tot…ering condition of our Kingdome and Parliament (the very pillars and foundations whereof are now not onelyonly ſhaken, but almoſt quite ſubverted) without any Fee at all, to become your Honors Advocate, and voluntarily to plead your Cauſe, and vindicate your undoubted right of ſitting, voting and judging in our Parliaments, of which they ſtrenuouſly endeavour to plunder both you and your poſterities; and to publiſh theſe ſubitane indigeſted Collections to the world, to ſtill the*Pſal. 65. 7. madneſſe of the ſeduced vulgar, whom Ignoramus Lilburne, Overton, Walwin, and their Confederates have laboured to mutinie againſt your Parliamentary Iuriſdiction, *Iſa. 4 1. 25.treading upon Princes as upon mortar, and as the Potter treadeth the clay, in their illiterate ſeditious Pamphlets, which I have here refuted by Scripture, Hiſtories, Antiquities and Parliament-Rolls; the ignorance whereof, joyned with their malice, is the principall occaſion of their error in this kinde.
And truly were all our Parliament-Rolls, Pleas & Iournals, faithfully tranſcribed, and publiſhed in print to the eye of the world, as moſt of our Statutes are, by authority of both Houſes of Parliament (a work as worthy their undertaking, & as beneficiall for the Publike, as any I can recommend unto their care) it would not only preſerve them from imbezelling, and the hazards of fire and war, to which they are now ſubject, but likewiſe eternally ſilence, refute the Sectaries and Levellers ignorant falſe Allegations againſt your Honors Parliamentary Iuriſdict…on and Iudicature, reſolve and cleare all or moſt doubts that can ariſe concerning the power, juriſdiction and priviledges of both, or either Houſe, keepe both of them within due bounds (the exceeding whereof is dangerous, and grievous to the People, except in caſes of abſolute neceſſity, for the ſaving of a Kingdome, whiles that neceſſity continues, and no longer) chalke out the ancient regular way of proceedings in all Parliamentary affaires whatſoever, whether of warre, or peace, civill or criminall, concerning King or Subject, Natives or Forraigners, over-rule and reconcile moſt of the preſent differences between the King and Parliament, Houſe and Houſe, Members and Members; cleare many doubts, and rectifie ſome groſſe miſtakes in printed Statutes, Law-Books, and our ordinary Hiſtorians; add much light, luſtre and ornament to our Engliſh Annals, and the Common Law; and make all Lawyers, and the Members of both Houſes farre more able then now they are, to mannage and carry on all buſineſſes in Parliament, when they ſhall upon every occaſion almoſt have former preſidents ready at hand to direct them; there being now very few Members in either Houſe well read or verſed in ancient Parliament Rolls, Pleas, or Journalls, the ignorance whereof is a great Remora to their proceedings, and oft times a cauſe of dangerous incroachments of new Iuriſdiction over the Subjects perſons and eſtates, not uſuall in former Parliaments, and of ſome great miſtakes and deviations from the ancient methodicall Rules and Tracts of Parliament (now almoſt quite forgotten and laid aſide by raw unexperienced Parliamentmen) to the publike prejudice, and injury of poſterity.
Your Lordſhips helping hand to the ſpeedy furthering of ſuch a neceſſary publike worke, will be a great acceſſion to your Honor, the beſt vindication of your Parliamentary Juriſdiction, Right, Power and Judicature, againſt all Oppoſites, till the accompliſhment whereof, I ſhall humbly recommend this ſhort Plea in your Honors defence, to your Noble Patronage, who can pitch upon no better or readier meanes to ſupport your Honor and Authority, and to indeare your ſelves in the Peoples affections, then in theſe diſtracted, dangerous, ſtormy times, to ingage all your intereſt, power and activity, ſpeedily to ſettle and ſecure Gods Glory, Truth, Worſhip, and the publike Safety of the Kingdome, againſt all open Oppoſers, and ſecret Underminers of them; to unburthen the People of their heavy Taxes, the Souldiers inſolencies and free quarter; to redreſſe all preſſing grievances, all oppreſſing arbitrary Committees, and proceedings contrary to the rules of Law and Iuſtice; to right all grieved Petitioners (eſpecially ſuch who have waited at leaſt ſeven yeares ſpace at your doores for reparations) relieve poore ſtarved Ireland, and raiſe up the almoſt loſt honor, power, freedome and reputation of Parliaments, by acting Honorably and heroically like your ſelves, without any feare, favour, hatred or ſelfe-ends, and confining your ſelves & the Commons Houſe to the ancient bounds and rules of Parliamentary Iuriſdiction and proceedings, and to excell all others as farre in Iuſtice, Goodneſſe and publike reſolutions, as you do in Greatneſſe and Authority. Which that you may effectually performe, ſhall be the the prayer of
Your Lordſhips in all humble Service, W. PRYNNE.