After the breach of the Parliament, in the fourth yeer of his Majesty, Injustice, Oppression, and Violence, broke in upon us, without any restraint or moderation; & yet the first project, was the great sums exacted thorow the whole Kingdom, for default of Knight-hood, which seemed to have some colour and shadow of a Law; yet if it be rightly examined by that obsolete Law which was pretended for it, it would be found to be against all the rules of Justice, both in respect of the persons charged, the proportion of the Fines demanded, and the absurd and unreasonable manner of their proceedings.
Tonnage and Poundage hath been received without colour or pretence of Law: Many other heavy impositions continued against Law; and some so unreasonable, that the summe of the charge, exceeds the value of the Goods. The Book of Rates lately inhansed to a high proportion; and such Merchants as would not submit to their illegall and unreasonable payments, were vexed and oppressed above measure; and the ordinary course of Justice, the common Birth-right of the subject of England, wholly obstructed unto them. And although all this was taken upon pretence of guarding the Sea, yet a new and unheard of Tax of Ship-money was devised, upon the same pretence. By both which, there was charged upon the subject neer 700000 l. some yeers; and yet the Merchants have been left so naked to the violence of the Turkish Pyrats, that many great Ships of value, and thousands of his Majesties subjects have been taken by them, and do still remain in miserable slavery.
The enlargement of Forrests, contrary to Charta de Foresta, and the composition thereupon. The exactions of Coat and Conduct-money, and divers other Military charges. The taking away the Arms of the Trayned Bands of divers Counties. The desperate design of engrossing all the Gun-powder into one hand, keeping it in the Tower of London, and setting so high a Rate upon it, that the poorer sort were not able to buy it, nor could any have it without License; thereby to leave the severall parts of the Kingdom destitute of their necessary defense; and by selling so dear that which was sold, to make an unlawfull advantage of it, to the great charge and detriment of the subject, the generall destruction of the Kings Timber, especially that in the Forrest of Dean, sold to Papists, which was the best Store-house of this Kingdom, for the maintenance of our Shipping. The taking away of mens right, under colour of the Kings title to Land between high and low water-Marks. The Monopolies of Sope, Salt, Wine, Leather, Sea-Cole, and, in a manner, of all things of most common and necessary use. The restraint of the Liberties of the subjects in their habitation, Trades, and other Interests. Their vexation and oppression by Purveyors, Clerks of the Market, and Salt-Peeter-men. The sale of pretended Nuzances, as Buildings in and about London, conversion of Arrable into Pasture; continuance of Pasture, under the name of depopulation, Have drawn many Millions out of the subjects Purses, without any considerable profit to his Majesty. Large quantities of Common, and severall Grounds, have been taken from the subject, by colour of the Statute of Improvement, and by abuse of the Commission of Sewers, without their consent, and against it. And not onely private Interest, but also publike faith have been broken, in seizing of the money and Bullion in the Mint; and the whole Kingdom like to be robb’d at once, in that abominable project of Brasse Money. Great numbers of his Majesties subjects, for refusing those unlawfull charges, have been vext with long and expensive suits; some fined and censured, others committed to long and hard imprisonments and confinements, to the losse of health of many, of life in some; and others have had their houses broken up, their goods seized; some have been restrained from their lawfull Callings: Ships have been interrupted in their Voyages; surprized at Sea in an Hostile manner, by Projectors, as by a common Enemy: Merchants prohibited to unlade their Goods in such Ports, as were for their own advantage, and forced to bring them to those places which were most for the advantages of the Monopolizers and Projectors.
The Court of Starchamber hath abounded in extravagant Censures, not only for the maintenance and improvement of Monopolies, and other unlawfull taxes; but for divers other Causes, where there hath been no offence, or very small; whereby His Majesties Subjects have been oppressed by grievous Fines, Imprisonments, Stigmatizings, Mutilations, Whippings, Pillories, Gags, Confinements, Banishments; after so rigid a manner, as hath not only deprived Men of the Society of their Friends, exercise of their Professions, comfort of Books, use of Paper or Inke, but even violated that neer Union which God hath establisht betwixt Men and their Wives, by forced and constrained seperation; whereby they have been bereaved of the comfort and conversation one of another, for many yeers together, without hope of relief; if God had not by his over-ruling Providence, given some interruption to the prevailing power and Councell of those, who were the Authors and Promoters of such peremptory and headdy courses.
Judges have been put out of their places, for refusing to do against their Oathes, and Consciences: Others have been so awed, that they durst not do their duties, and the better to hold a rod over them, the Clause quam diu se bene gesserit was left out of their Patents, and a new Clause Durante bene placito inserted. Lawyers have been checkt, for being faithfull to their Clients; Sollicitors, and Atturneyes have been threatned, and some punished for following lawfull Suites: And by this means all the approaches to Justice were interrupted and forecluded. New Oaths have been forced upon the Subject against Law; new Judicatories erected without Law: The Councell Table have, by their Orders, offered to binde the Subjects in their free-holds Estates, Suites, and Actions. The pretended Court of the Earl Marshal was Arbitrary, and Illegall in its being, and proceedings. The Chancery, Exchequer-Chamber, Court of Wards, and other English Courts have been grievous in exceeding their Jurisdiction. The estate of many Families weakned, and some ruined by excessive Fines, exacted from them for Compositions of Wardships. All Leases of above a hundred yeers, made to draw on Wardship contrary to Law. Undue proceedings used in the finding of Offices, to make the Jury finde for the King. The Common-Law Courts, seeing all Men more inclined to seek Justice there, where it may be fitted to their own desire, are known frequently to forsake the Rules of the Common-Law, and straining beyond their bounds, under pretence of equity to do Injustice. Titles of Honour, Judiciall places, Serjeantships at Law, and other Offices have been sold for great summes of Money; whereby the common Justice of the Kingdom hath been much endangered, not only by opening away of employment in places of great Trust, and advantage to Men of weak parts; but also by giving occasion to Bribery, Extortion, Partiality; It seldome hapning that places ill-gotten are well used. Commissions have been granted for examining the excesse of Fees: and when great exactions have been discovered, Compositions have been made with Delinquents, not only for the time past, but likewise for immunity and security in offending, for the time to come; which under colour of remedy, hath but confirmed, and encreased the Grievance to the Subject.
The usuall course of pricking Sheriffs, not observed, but many times Sheriffs made in an extraordinary way; sometimes as a punishment and charge unto them; sometimes such were pricked out, as would be Instruments to execute whatsoever they would have to be done.
The Bishops and the rest of the Clergy, did triumph in the Suspensions, Excommunications, Deprivations, and Degradations of divers painfull, learned, and pious Ministers, in the vexation, and grievous oppression of great numbers of His Majesties good Subjects. The High-Commission grew to such excesse of sharpnesse and severity, as was not much lesse then the Romish Inquisition; and yet in many cases by the Archbishops power, was made much more heavy, being assisted, and strengthened by authority of the Councell-Table.
The Bishops, and their Courts, were as eager in the Countrey; and although their jurisdiction could not reach so high in rigour, and extremity of punishment, yet were they no lesse grievous, in respect of the generallity, and multiplicity of vexations, which lighting upon the meaner sort of Tradesmen, and Artificers, did impoverish many thousands, and so afflict and trouble others, that great numbers, to avoid their miseries, departed out of the Kingdom, some into New-England, and other parts of America, others into Holland, where they have transported their Manufactures of Cloath which is not only a losse by diminishing the present stock of the Kingdome, but a great mischiefe by impairing and endangering the losse of that peculiar Trade of Cloathing, which hath been a plentifull Fountain of Wealth and Honour to this Nation.
Those were fittest for Ecclesiasticall preferment, and soonest obtained it, who were most officious in promoting superstition, most virulent in railing against Godlinesse, and honesty.
The most publike and solemn Sermons before His Majestie were, either to advance Prerogative above Law, and Decry the propertie of the Subject, or full of such kinde of invectives; whereby they might make those odious, who sought to maintain the Religion, Laws, and Liberties of the Kingdom; and such Men were sure to be weeded out of the Commission of the peace, and out of all other imployments of power in the Government of the Countrey.