Six important quæres propounded to the re-sitting Rump of the long Parliament, fit to be satisfactorily resolved by them upon the question, before they presume to act any further, or expect the least obedience from the free-born English nation, after so manie years wars and contests for the privileges, rights, and freedom of Parliaments, and their own liberties. Prynne, William, 1600-1669. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A56209 of text R211416 in the English Short Title Catalog (Wing P4083). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 12 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2017 A56209 Wing P4083 ESTC R211416 99835039 99835039 39692 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A56209) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 39692) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 2038:31) Six important quæres propounded to the re-sitting Rump of the long Parliament, fit to be satisfactorily resolved by them upon the question, before they presume to act any further, or expect the least obedience from the free-born English nation, after so manie years wars and contests for the privileges, rights, and freedom of Parliaments, and their own liberties. Prynne, William, 1600-1669. 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [London : 1659] By William Prynne. Imprint from Wing. Identified as Wing P4083A on UMI microfilm "Early English books, 1641-1700" reel 2038. Annotation on Thomason copy: "W.P:"; "xber [i.e., December]. 30. 1659". Reproductions of the originals in the British Library (Thomason Tracts), and the Harvard University Library (Early Enlgish books, 1641-1700). eng England and Wales. -- Parliament -- History -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1649-1660 -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- History -- Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 -- Early works to 1800. A56209 R211416 (Wing P4083). civilwar no Six important quæres, propounded to the re-sitting Rump of the long Parliament, fit to be satisfactorily resolved by them upon the question, Prynne, William 1659 2168 4 0 0 0 0 0 18 C The rate of 18 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the C category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2002-10 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2002-11 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2002-12 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2002-12 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion SIX IMPORTANT QUAERES , PROPOUNDED To the Re-sitting Rump of the long Parliament , fit to be satisfactorily resolved by them upon the Question , before they presume to Act any further , or expect the least Obedience from the Free-born English Nation , after so manie years Wars and Contests for the Privileges , Rights , and Freedom of Parliaments , and their own Liberties . 1. WHether their sudden stealing into the House by night , on Monday the 26. of December after their forced Dissolution by Lambert , Octob. 13. without any new Summons or notice of their sitting given to any of their Fellow-Members , in the City , or people of the Nation ; was not a work of Darkness , rather than of Light , better beseeming Theeves than Freemen , a Guy Faux with his dark Lanthorn to blow up a Parliament , than the Honour and Dignity of Members of a real English Parliament , and a bad Omen of some dark D●signs against their Fellow-Members , and Liberties both of the City and English Nation ? 2. Whether their placing armed Gards that Evening at the House , and all approaches to it and the next Morning too , and giving Colonel Okey , and Colonel Alured ( the Commanders of their Gards ) their Serjeant and Door-keepers , strict special Commands and Orders , not to suffer any of the old secluded Members so much as to come into the outward Lobby before the House , ( whether Footboys , Apprentices , and other Persons of all sorts had free access , ) much lesse to enter into the House ; and their forcible secluding of Sir Gilbert Gerard , Sir Anthony Irby , Sir William Waller , Sir Iohn Evelin , Mr. Ansley , Serjeant Maynard , Mr. Prynne , and 15. other Members more on Tuesday morning , Decemb. 27. out of the very Lobby , in pursuance of their Orders , till they crowded into the Lobby by degrees against the Door-keepers , and Gards wills , who at first oft shut the Doors against them , though they admitted Apprentices , and others to pass in and out : And their seclusion of them out of the House when in the Lobby , by keeping the House door fast locked against them , and ordering the Door-keeper and Serjeant not to open it , notwithstanding many demands to open it , and Messages to them for that purpose , which they slighted ; not vouchsafing to take any notice of , after two full hours attendance by the Members on them in the Lobby ; nor so much as sending any Member , nor their Serjeant out to them ; as they usually do to every ordinary Petitioner , or person attending them upon publick or private occasions ; Be not a just ground and provocation for these and all other secluded Members , ( being about 4. times more in number and interest to those then sitting , and the real House of Commons , ) with all the respective Counties , Cities , Boroughs , Ports for which they serve , with as high co●●empt and scorn to neglect them and their illegal Conventicle , ( not the tenth part of a Commons House , ) to protest against all their Votes , Proceedings as null and void to all intents , and not to yield the least obedience to any Orders , Votes , or Commands of theirs , till all the Members be freely admitted without any restrictions , to sit and act amongst them ; it being both their Privile●e , Birthright , and Inheritance , and they obliged by their Protestation , and Solemn League and Covenant , constantly , zealously and chearfully to defend the same with their Lives and Estates against all Violations , all the daies of their lives ; and therefore now if ever , in this sad posture of publick distractions ? 3. Whether this their disdainfull , uncivil , unbrotherly Treating of their fellow-Members ( desiring nothing else but a brotherly association with them , to compose the manifold Distractions , and make up the wide Breaches of our Sinking , Dying Nations , by their United Councils and Endeavours , and to Regulate all Exorbitances , occasioned by their heady Councils and Miscariages ) in not allowing them the Privileges of Porters and Footboyes to enter into their outward Lobby , in taking no notice of them , and putting this fresh affront upon them , after so many former Indignities , in the midst of their and our Domestick Confusions and fears from forein parts , be not an evident Demonstration ; that they intend neither the publike Peace , Unity , nor settlement of our Government , Laws , Liberties , or Nations , but their unjust support of their own private Interests , Rapines , ambitious Tyrannical Usurpations and Exercises of Supreme Parliamentary Civil and Military Authority over our three Nations to imbroyl them in new Wars and Confusions , to prey upon the small remainder of their Real and Personal Estates , by the power of the Sword , now gotten into their hands , out of the Army-Officers ; who abused it likewise to the oppressing and enslaving of the people , and created them a Parliament without the secluded Members , and House of Peers ? 4. Whether their disdainfull , Injurious forcible seclusion of the Members , by their own special Orders and Commands to their Gards and Officers now , be not a shrewd Evidence , that their former seclusions , Decemb. 6. and 7. 1648. and May 7. and 9. 1659. ( acted by , and fathered on the Army-Officers , and seemingly disowned by themselves ) were secretly procured & countenanced by them , thus openly owning their last seclusion , by their precedent Orders and subsequent approbation of it ; and that at their very first re-assembling , after their own late forcible seclusion , by Lamberts and Hewsons Regiments , now Entertained and Imployed in their service , to seclude , and keep out their old honest fellow Members , of Untainted Integrity and merit ? Whether it be not a greater breach of Privilege , Trust , Duty , Tyranny , Perjury , and Treason in them , against all former Declarations , the Protestation , Solemn League and Covenant , taken and Subscribed by them , with hands lifted up to the most High God , thus to seclude their fellow Members : than it was in Cromwell and Harrison , April 20. 1653. or for Lambert October 13. last to seclude and turn themselves out of doors , after their declaring and voting it Treason , Perjury and Tyranny in them ? Whether this their secluding of the Members by Col. Okey himself , and others who appeared most active against their Exclusion by Lambert , will not draw a self-condemnation on them , as acting by their commands , against their Consciences ; and justify both Cromwels and Lamberts seclusion of themselves ? And justly encourage all their newly reduced Soldiers and others , to shut and turn themselves out of the House again upon any emergent occasion or discontent , with greater boldness and impunity than before , since they justified their last seclusion , by their former underhand encouragements of them to seclude the Majority of the Members , who over-voted them in Decemb. 1648. and give them Orders to seclude them now again upon the same account in the same month of December , for fear they should over-vote them if re-admitted ? 5. Whether their printed Vote , Decem. 27. To take the business of their absent Members into debate on the 5. of Ianuary next ; instead of giving admittance , or any answer to the 22. secluded Members waiting for an answer in the Lobby above 2. hours , be not a meer dilatory Cheat put upon the secluded Members , the City of London , and whole Nation ; to delay their admission till they have put new Gards on , and drawn up all their forces to London , to over-awe the City , and hinder their long-delayed Militia for their own security ; and setled the Militia of every County under their own commands , to enslave the whole City and Nation to their Tyranny and usurped Parliamentary Power ; and then they will not only forcibly keep out all the Members , but absolutely eject them , unlesse they will take their new Oath and Ingagement : As is evident by their Speakers prohibiting the Lord Maior and Common Council on Saturday last to set up their Chains and settle their Militia ; and their Order and Vote on Munday night against all forces raised without their Order , to hinder the M●litia in the City , when they commanded the Militia in the Suburbs and Westminster to meet and Act that day : And by some of their discourses to two seeluded Members ; That there was no hopes of their admission , unlesse they were for a Commonwealth , would take the Ingagement , and confirm what they had done : and thereby become as guilty , treacherous , perfidious , disloyal , and hurtfull to the publike as themselves ) which those Members assured them , they would never submit to , being against the Privilege of Parliament , their Judgements , Consciences , Protestation , Covenant , former Oathes upon their first admission as Members . 6. Whether the City , or English Nation , can expect the least justice ease or redresse of their insupportable Burdens , Taxes , and Impositions from these new Tax-masters , who ( though they are not yet the Tenth part of a full Commons House ) presumed to pass and print a New Act of Parliament , to continue their expired Customs and Excises on them , till March next ? Whether their unpresidented presumption , in arrogating to themselves the Title , power and authority of a Parliament ; when all Laws , and Lawbooks resolve , their own Consciences and the whole Nation infallibly know them to be no Parliament , nor Commons house , hath not brought them within the compasse and penalty of this Clause in their own last Act , before their Dissolution by Lambert , October 11. intituled , An Act against raising of Money upon the people without their Consent in Parliament : And be it further enacted , That no person or persons shall after the 11. of October , 1659. Assess , levy , collect , gather or receive , any Customs , Imposts , Excise , Assessment , Contribution . Tax , Tallage , or any sum or sums of money , or other Impositions whatsoever , upon the People of this Commonwealth , without their consent in Parliament , or as by Law might have béen done before the Third of November , 1640. And be it further enacted and declared , That every person offending against this Act , ( therefore every of themselves who passed this new Act , Decemb. 27 and those who shall put it in execution ) shall be and are hereby adjudged to be guilty of High Treason , and shall forfeit and suffer as in case of High Treason . Whether the people of this Commonwealth ( the thousand part whereof knew not of their new sitting ) did ever consent to this sudden extemporary new Act , made the first morning of their sitting in lesse than two hours space , when there were but 42. Members in the House ; 22. secluded Members at the door , and near 250. more Members yet living , ( besides the whole House of Lords , who must stand for Cyphers ) absent , and not privy to their Session , or this Act ? If not , ( as is unquestionable ) whether by this their own Law and Act , they be not adjudged to be guilty of High Treason , and to forfeit and suffer as in case of High Treason , for this their imposing and continuing of Customs and Excises on the people ; as well as for their seclusion of their Members ; which they voted to be Treason in Lambert ? And whether the Offices and Common Soldiers can upon this account expect any pay from the City or Country , or Indemnity for secluding those Now sitting , if they offend again in secluding the greatest part of the Members , which are in truth the only House , which can only really pay and indemaifie them ?