Letter from a person of honour in France, concerning the late transactions in England, in reference to the rights of the people in electing of parliaments. And also reasons the case, answering some objections made against the late King, and his posterity. S. E. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A84327 of text R211628 in the English Short Title Catalog (Wing E40). 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. 7 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 A84327 Wing E40 ESTC R211628 45504454 ocm 45504454 171765 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. A84327) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 171765) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 2590:4) Letter from a person of honour in France, concerning the late transactions in England, in reference to the rights of the people in electing of parliaments. And also reasons the case, answering some objections made against the late King, and his posterity. S. E. 1 sheet ([1] p.) Printed for Thomas Pool, London, : 1659. Signed: Your affectionate friend, S.E. Imprint from colophon. Reproduction of original in: Bodleian Library. eng Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1649-1660 -- Sources. Great Britain -- History -- Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649-1660 -- Sources. Broadsides -- England -- 17th century. A84327 R211628 (Wing E40). civilwar no A letter from a person of honour in France, concerning the late transactions in England, in reference to the rights of the people in electin S. E 1660 1237 2 0 0 0 0 0 16 C The rate of 16 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the C category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2007-09 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-11 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-12 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2007-12 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion LETTER From a Person of Honour in FRANCE , concer●●ng The late Transactions in England , in Reference to the Rights of the People in Ele●●●ng of Parliaments . And also reasons the Case , answering some Objections made against the late KING , And his POSTERITY . SIR , PARIS , February 1659. I Have received from the hands of Monsieur Grammont yours of the 11. and 13th . instant , and cannot find that cause of so great rejoycing as both express : for all doth but amount to filling up the House , and by their Qualifications , Elections shall be so ordered , that it will be nothing more then a Free Parliament , which consisteth in electing , voting and sitting ( as formerly ) at the pleasure of the Sword . If the old continue , then those worthy Gentlemen which are excluded , ought to take their places : If a new one be called , then all parties as Subjects equally concerned without Restriction or Qualifications , ( as they call it ) ought to be capable of Election ; but if their malice be so rooted against the Cavaleer , or Kings party ( who have as much reason to wish and act the good of those nations as any others ) that they must not be admitted : Then 't is but reason and justice , that those that have purchased great estates , and enjoy offices military and civill , should be so too . For they are the only people that keep up these distractions for their own benefit . If Loosers ( as the Proverb is ) may not have leave to speak ; it is not fit Gainers should , whose Interest now denyes Liberty to those Sufferers , and is but particular to the grand general one . And shall the Royal party alwayes loose a national Right , who have paid a compounded price of miseries for their Estates , which did surely give them a like Freedome as before ? Otherwise what signifies their concernments to the publick in any thing ? And how they can make them more then Equals in the payment of Taxes and Pressures , and deny them liberty in this , is altogether unreasonable , in that it destroyes them their Birth-Right , and in every respect lessens the Liberties of the Subject so much pretended or contended for . So that unless this be allowed , that party is still lyable ( as not having the benefit of the Laws ) to the thraldom and lash of every Innovator and Power whatsoever ; witness their Decimation by the late Tyrant , who renewed their sorrows at his pleasure . And whereas some Pamphlets would perswade a belief , that England will never endure its primitive practice or worship in Religion ; and that Kingly Government , by reason of present Interests must needs be extinguished ; For a sufficient Answer , it will be worth our time to reflect upon those Interests . And what hath followed thereupon since the Interruption of that Parliament ( famous for their Vote in order to a peace with the late King ) Anno , 1648. but confusion in great measure , occasioned by the disobedience of the then Army-Officers , animated thereunto by some Members whose Interest is thus declared for ? Therefore to urge any thing which is apparently destructive to a known and solid experimental Welfare in Estates and Kingdomes , cannot be lasting , safe or rational . Neither so long as Armies guard , and force Parliamentary Counsels ( to comply with their rude and indigested Models , to uphold corrupt Interests , which hath cost the people so many millions contesting against , and for their lawful King ) no foundation can possibly be said but what is arbitrary and perfectly destructive to the whole . For if the wisdom of the Rulers be thus obstructed , all other Essayes shall for ever be fruitless ; and this I think may without errour pass as a Doom upon those Kingdoms ; and fondly to conclude from their confused Notions and circumstances that a pretended Common-wealth of 8. or 10. years troublesome growth , is or can be better then a Monarchy of above a thousand years continuance that comparatively imposed no grievances , is a weakness to believe . Therefore , you Pharisees , if this shall not convince , observe the Order , Government and Rule of Heaven and Earth , of God in the Trinity , of Nature , and since the Creation , of Families , of every particular Countrey and people , nay the beasts of the field : And then tel me , if you can , if this doth not proclaim Monarchical Government to be according to the Will of God and our Saviour ? There can be no Competitors in dominion in one and the same thing , without enraging the hearts of men ; therefore unsafe is that Nation who hath such Rivals . A Common-wealth is consistent with , and most splendid under Regal Government , insomuch as it unites all to that center . Now if this be not duly considered , I have one step farther to stifle their Objections and fatal interest so much pleaded for , if they will stand to that purity of Spirit which they pretend , viz. The solemn Leagues and Covenants made by themselves , in which they swore Allegiance , forces this as a duty to the person of the King , and his Posterity ; and yet the one by violence is cut off , and the other an exile exposed to the mercy of strangers , hazarding both soul and body : In sum , Restitution is one great mark of the people of God : And so long as the gain thus cleaves to their fingers , Repentance is not in their hearts . Then , is it not great folly to countenance such interests as these which hath cost that Nation more in 10. years to defend , then would maintain the other in honour almost a thousand years , had he nothing of right belonging unto him . And how they can expect a settlement by ( shadows of Authority ) men of corrupt principles laden with it spoiles , ( by which they continue the force put upon their Fellow-members by the violence of Armies ) no man hath yet discovered . Unless ( with the late tyranical Usurper Oliver Cromwell ) we should look upon Perjury and Disobedience as no sin , we cannot tolerate Armies ( which are but servants ) to be Lawgivers , or impose them upon the Rulers ; from whence I hope , that victorious General consulting with his Army , the expectations of the world , will conclude , that bare suppositions against a King , is no solid Argument for a Common-wealth as yet unborn : Hence therefore let England sing out the praises of God for their lawfull King , who with his Royal Father prayed for , and loved them in the dayes of their extremity . Farewell , I am Your affectionate friend , S. E. LONDON , Printed for Thomas Pool , 1659.