THE CIVILL RIGHT TYTHES: OR, The Countrey Incumbent his Glaymc thereto. Wherein are divers Reafens held forthf I. That the Propiietie of Tythes is not in the hapfjlofj the Land-holder. I I. Nor inihe hands of the State. ^ III. That it is, and ought to be 3 in the hand of Incumbent. B. A. a faithfull well-wiflier to the Parliament, to the Armie,to the Common-wealth and to all the People of God in England. Psov. 22. 28. Remove net the ancient Bound which thy Fathers have fet. Lmdotti Printed forjM« Wright, at the Kings Head in the Old-Bayley, 1653. THE CIVILL RIGHT OF T r r he s. T is not any finifter refpe&,that puts me on this undefired Worke; neither is it any felfe-End, that made me,the unmeeteft of ™ &nf'[ others, to undertake this imploymentbe- Sk ' fore others: But the Glory of Godthe amp?'’ Good of the Minifterie,theHonourofour ^ Natior,the Advancement of Religion,the Supporting of Learning, the Peace, Tranquillitie, and Wel¬ fare of the Parliament, of the Armie,and of the Common¬ wealth; asalfodue refpeft to an Order made in the latter end of July, whereby libertie is granted to any to tender the Incumbents claymes in the proprietic in fykes: Tbefc were the foie and onely Ends which I herein aymed at. In clearing of the Truth in hand, I (hall firft of all (God willing) lay downe fome Reafons S firft, Privative, why the Proprietic of fykes can neither be in the Land-holder, or People, nor in the State and Common-wealth : fecondly, Pofuive, why the Proprietie of fykes is in the hand of the Incumbent : And then (hall I briefely anfwer fome Obje&i- ons, which the Petitioners commonly pretend againft the pitying and receiving of Tjtbes. I. The Proprietie of fyhts is not in the hands of the Land-holder, or of the People: for, ' . ' Firft, Our Law not onely diftinguilheth the Proprietie ot A 2 the theLand-holder,orof the People, from the Incumbents and Impropriators tenth part; hue after lithe: arc fet out,it nu- Jceth it a like Trefpas in the Land-hoider to carry away the Tjtbe , as for an Incumbent or Impropriator to carry a wrong SheaftjOr Cock. For whereas it is Felonie in a ((ran¬ ger, that can pretend noProprktie, to take either of their Cocks or Sheafes away$ it is not Felonie according to the Law and Cuftome of our Land,but an equall or like Trefpa* in the Land-holder, or of him that taketh 1Jibej, thus to miftake. The Law alfo giveth him power, without asking leave, to come on the Land-holders ground,either in Enclo- fure,or common Field, if he pleafe, to demand Tjtbes&nd to carry it away,when it is once fet out. Thefe and an hundred the like particulars,that might be inftanced in, clearly (hew, that there is the lame Proprietie in the Incumbent for his Tenth,as there is in the Land-holder for his Nine parts. But fecondly. What feefce I any other proofe ? when as by the great Patrons of Juftice, the fudges of our Land,it hath beene oft delivered at the Grand Afltzes in their Charges to this effeft, That the Law giveth the Incumbent or Impro¬ priator the fame right forhisTenth, as the Land-holder hath to his other Nine parts.Whereby it doth mod evidently appeare, that the Proprietie of Tytbes is fo farre from being in the Land-holder, that if there be in him a Proprietie for the Nine parts, there is alfo a Proprietie in the Incumbent, or Impropriator,forhisTenth : otherwife, how have thfcfe the fame right to the one, as they have to the other > Now the great PofTefTor of Heaven and Earth be pleafed in mercy to reftraine thefe, that fo vigoroufly and actively goe about to Petition to takeaway the Tenth, that many of them may not, to the overthrow of all Proprietie, goe about after¬ wards to take away the Free-holders Nine parts, intending the taking away of Tytbes as the laying of a Foundation to bring in Communitie,and to take away all Proprietie what- foever in the Free-holder and Tenant. Thirdly, The pofleffion of Tytbes hath not beene in the hands of the Land-holder, but of the Incumbent,not onely Cnee, bat many hundred yeares before the Noman Conqueft, without ; Without alteration, in the great Goncullions that this Land hath beene tolled up and downc with. And would they de- ■, fire to hare theft Tjtbes, which their Anceftors for many hundred yeares never enjoyed > Neither were thefe in the hands of the Land-holder, when haply many thoufands of thefe Petitioners Anceftors firft planted and fcated them- ftlves in this Land. Fourthly, The Land-holder, or People, can have no Pro;- priede in Tytbet by Purchafe, for neither they nor their Anceftors did ever purchafe them ( thefe being in the Incumbents hand long before they, or their Anceftors, pure ha fed their Inheritances in England.") The Tenth be¬ ing never purchafcd by themfelres, or their Anceftors j How can they thinke , that they have any Proprietie in it 1 I I. The Proprietie of Jytbes is not in the hands of the State, or Common-wealth. Fir ft, TheLaives which the Parliaments have made,Ihew the contrarie ; Amongft the reft, the,Statute of Mortmain, a Law ftill in force; by which, if they gave any thing to ! the Church, (as they then Idled it) it was'then b? the Statute luppofcd to be in a dead hand (for lb thewords Mortmain importeth.) It was thereupon enacted, to prevent fuch further Donations, That if any did gbe in that.manner afterwards, without fpecialf Licence, itfhould be by that Ad. forfeited to the King, or State. If the Proprietie of thefe Gifts, or the like, had beene in the States hands, how. was it enafted as a Penal tie, or Forfeiture, to prevent thefe further Gifts and Donations, That if any did give, it Ihould be forfeited to them ? If the Gift made it theirs, why was the Forfeiture added > Surely, the Forfeiture ali¬ enated the Proprietie from him, on whom the Donour intended it : Yea, the Parliament needed not to have Decreed, that it ihould be a Forfeiture to the State, if the Stjite had the Proprietie of it by the Gift. The Par¬ liament, by this Aft of theirs; and other Parliaments, by continuance thereof, without Repeale or Alteration , ma- nifeft, that the Proprietie of fuch things as had beene for- A 3 merly • : • v 4 J n'-erly given, was not in their hands, nor in the hands of the King, or State. ' i Secondly, The Kings and Queenes of England, even in thefe Livings whereof they had the Patronage, did never before inftitution, or induction , take the profit of thefe Tjtfcvr, which fell in the time of their Vacancie, but they were fcqueftrcd to theufe of the next Incumbent. If they had Proprietie in any, here was thegreatelVffcew,in the pla¬ ces of their Patronage 5 yet, even in thefe, they claymed no further Proprietie but as other Patrons j neither did they appropriate theie, without thecor.fent of the Bifhop and Incumbent. Thirdly, The incumbent had power, with their Bithops and Patrons content, to alienate by Leafs for many yearcs, or to appropriate to feme Houie,or Corporation, the Tytbei of their Re.ftorie, without the confenc of the People, or Land-holders, or without the content of the Parliament,or S tate, even as firmely as any Free-holder conld doe his pro¬ per eftate: which dearely (heweth, that neither People nor State had any Proprietie in them ; for if fo,their confent of neceifitie mull have beene required to fuch an alienation. ' Fourthly, The Common-wealth of England did in the times of Kings and QueeBes lay clay me no otherwife to. Ty.'vrr, that were in the hands of the Incumbents, then they did to the Nine parts belonging to other Free-h&lders; making Lawes for che regulating and well-ordering of one, as well as the other : Which power of theirs, in nuking Lawes, did no more take away the Proprietie from the In¬ cumbent,then it did from any Free-hclder over whom they had the like power. Fifthly, It was never the intent of the Donours,to place the Proprietie of them in the hands of the State, but in the Incumbent: for if there had beene fuch an intent,it would have beene either exprefled,or implyed.The Apoftle fpeaketh of it.as a Rule generally received: If it be but a mam Tefla- meat, if it be xmfirmtd, no man difanulleth, «r aAdttb thereto, Gal. 3. iy. The Oath which Jofepb in his Will charged the Lroeliies withall; though thefe perfons might be dead to whom whom the Oath was given, yet Myjh ,who was borne fixtie five yeares after the Oath, holdeth hitnfclfe bound to fulfill it 5. the Holy-Ghoft rciidring it as a Reafon 3 why Mo\ts tooke the Bones of J-ofeph with him, becaufehehad flraitlj fmrne the children «f ijrael tbereto^Exod.i^.V). Yea,this Will of his, the Holy-Ghoft calleth a Command, fJeb. 11.22. Oh, let men be tender of doing injuric to the Wills of the d; ad, as they would have others to be tender of fulfilling their Wills when as they are dead. . 111 . Proprietie of Tythet is ifl the hands of the In¬ cumbent. ; Firft, -Incumbents had aftuall pofleffion given tbenuh all Ages of the Rights, Profits, and Emoluments belonging to their Rectories, or Vicarages, as punftually by In¬ duction , as other Free-holders had of their Free-holds: again# which, in cafe of controvert to the Clerke,though preier.tcd by the King or Queene of Englahds Mmdmw , yet there was a Returne made of Ecckfta plena, and he muft bring a jguare Impedit, and he could not have by Law Infti- uitioir, or Induftion, until! the.'former Incumbent was legally ejefied out of that poifeflion , which he had fome ivay or other unjuftly obtained, : 1 Secondly, Incumbents of Livings had Voyces not onely in cle&iug of their Clerkes of Convocation, but alfo with other Free-holders,in electing Knights for the Shke,though they had no other Free-hold, they alwayes.being held and reckoned as Free-holders;as in our Times,even in Northainp- tonfbire) was legally cleared. If other Free-holders therefore have Proprietie to Nine parts, the Incumbent hath right to the Tenth, the quantitie no way altering the? qualitie; his Proprietie bejng in onepart <;quallf as'right, ahdas proper in him, as, the Proprietie of the Frec-holderin the other Nine parts was in hiim 1 " Thirdly, By all Ms ofParliament, the Incumbents have an equa^l right of iSuing,(either for their Jjthu unjuftlyde- tained,.or for any other Trcfpafles, ’as J Impfopridtors have for their lmpropriations i althofigh lmpropriators bought their clmpropriaMbOs. in as ample ,- or rather more ample manner manner then any purchafer of the Abbey Lands, to which they were appropriated: the Abbey Lands and Nunneries, and others of the like nature,being onely once bought,and payd tor; but many of thofe by a fecqnd fumy, the pur- chafers that bought them as appropriated to their Man- nors,were after contf rained to buy againe by a more parti¬ cular purchafe. Shall wee condemne the wifedome of all fore-going Parliaments.which have generally given power, incaieof detaining Ijthi to the Incumbent, to Sue as a Right in his owne name, and affirme he hath no Proprietie in them, no due claime to them, which by Parlianientai'ie Lawes the.Incunibent Sueth for in his owne name,as for his owne proper goods ? Fourthly, Parliaments have given treble Cofts and Dam- mages againft thofe, which contrarie to Law detains 1 ythes from Incumbents, whether Impropriators or others. Shall we think they have no Proprietie in that.,to which our Law by Acts of Parliament lince Henj the eighth alloweth them, in cafe of injurie offered them in their 3 "jtbts, a treble fatis- iaftion,when as others have but a bugle ? Surely,thelc Par¬ liaments which made thefe Afts knew they had a Proprietie in thcm,othcrwife they would not have given greater Dam- mages to them then they did give to other Free-holders, which (all acknowledge) have Pr< prietie in their eftates. Fifthlyj Kings and Queenes of England required their Taxes of them, ufually called Subfidies, no otherwise then they did of other Free-holdec*; which Taxes, or Subfidies, they gave to the maintenance of the Common-wealth by the Clerk-es of Convocation, whom they elefted as other Free holders did their Subfidies, by the Parliament-men whom they chofe. ; jf the Proprietie of their eftate had not been in their owne hand's, it would iiot have been a Subfidie which they had given,but a Puent-charge, or part of the Re¬ venue of the State which they had reftored. Sixtly, were long agbe bounded by our Anceftors, aiulkad the Proprietie intended by the firft Donoiirs, to the Miriifier; they oilght nqttherefore co be alienated,contrarie to the intent of phe Donour, from the Minifter. For herein Gods Gods-Law' giverh a ft rift prohibition,from altering any'Ci- vill Rightln this or in thie likekind, Prov.72. 2S. : Kmove not ' ■ibe ancient Bound which tbfFaihersbj.- fet. j. Tlie'fe which Pecidon to ta.-e away lytbes from In. cumbentSjOr Impropriators,endevour to remove that Civil!. -Bound whiehtheir Fathers havefet 5 winch, in mans Civill Right ought hoc to be done: 2. Efpecially feeing that there was a VdW,or Gath,going along in all thefe Donations, as Hiftorians (hew: For the fame wife man will tell you, It it a Snari to devoure that which k holy, and after Vowci to malty enquiry Prov. 20.25. The Gi- beouitess which were Nubimmr, the loiveft kind of Minifte; s in Gods Houfe, when Saul tooke not dnely their Lives, but their Lands from their Children, their'inheritance being much in the Lot of theTribe of Benjamin, (as ye may fte Jojh.iS. 25,26,28. with Jojb. 9 . 17.) Sauls owneTribe ; he in zeale to the Children of Jfrael flew them,‘2 Sam. 21. a‘. to make the Gibeonites to ceafe from remaining hi any of the Coafts of Ifrael^t Sam.21.^. God,which never required par¬ ticularly the bloud of the Priefts at Sauls hands, whom he flew in like manner as he did the Gibeonitn^x Sam. 22, 18,19. yetmaketh inquifltion for the bloud dPGibeon.even in Sauls Childrens time, and fortie yeares after feqiii'retff juftiCe to b< done bn the pofteritie of Saul, who would have cutoff the eftate,and rooted out the pofteritie of Gibeon. That Vow which 1 frails fore.fatfters (although with a great deale of in fifmitie) had made to thcm,tyeth the pofteritieof Jfrael to fulfill it five hundred yeares afters and Iff ait fmarts in their pofteritie,and Saul in his pdftericie for the breach thereof. 3. There was a Curfc added to tfibfe that removed the ancient Land-mark, even by God himfelfe to fyatl, aMofes {Bcweth } T>eut.2j.iy. and by the Donoursof Tyibei in Eng¬ land, as Hiftorians ftiew. And furely,as a continued feriis of mercifull Aftsof ; Di : vine Providence do manifeft a good Gaufe,with which they g>?e along; As in Gods profperihg our Force's by Sea and Land,if we be nOt wilfully blind,wemayfee, and ackn ow¬ ledge the wonderfull difpenfatibns of God, which'he hath B wrought wrought for the.Nation, which call for thank fall acknaw- , kdgemen ts from a people fa mightilyholpenj.and'are ftrong encouragements to us to depend on him for the future, in the worke he hath begun amongft us: So certainely, on the contrary, a continued firiu of direfull Afts of Providence doeoftaccompanie, if not manifeft an evill Gaufc. .And furely it is not to be flighted, but rather ferioufly to be weighed, how the God of Heaven from time to time hath , bla&d the endeavours of thofe States, Princes, Common- - wealths,and Parliamcius, that have thus alienated 1 ytbei to other maintenance then of Minifters, to which by their An- ccftors Wilis they were fotmerly deiigned. What Protcftant Prince, or Commo^-wealth,d:d in otu; day cs.or in the dayes of our Fathers, ever take them-into their owne Coffers, for the payment of Souldiers, or other ufes, that did in conelu- fion gaine any thing thereby ? The Lord be pleafed to ketpe off fuch extremities from our Common-wealth,as they have .fallen into. ' 1 . 1 (hall flu infance in HeiWj'which.is neercus in iituati. on, though remote from us in a flection : They fixdeycares agoe, and upwards, tooke away part of that maintenance which their fore-fathers had given to the maintenance of the Minifters of Gods publike wor&ip, andifet it apart tothe maintenance of their Warres: and have they not had, Warres ever fince to maintainerNeither would that which they thus tcok,nuintaine their Warres, but the Charges thereof grew lb on them, that the Excifes and Taxes of MoUand farre ex¬ ceeded thefe in our Countrey ■> they .being oft neceffitated to kccpcanArmieof ftxtiethou’fand horfe and foot, befides their Sea-Navic. : And yet how have.their Bounds at home been ftraitncd,thaf'iiave.ftfaithed theMinifters maintenance? Yea,what Lofies by \Vafre in-their Territories did they fince undergoe,by atotall Lofte of their principal! Province of FLanders ,• and their he>d Qhie.Antiverpe, and othe;r parts of their Countrey >Yct being now-lifted up'with pride Sc feffe- confidence,they go about to take.away Englands Right alfci, who have formerly,with a,great exptnee of Xreafure,andof Bloud, maintained theirs.: And they ftill endeavouring on the \7 / the Minifters maintenance, to maintaineeven thefeWarrcs of theirs, which being unjuftjdoe therefore co me from their btvnelup) Jam. 4. 2. How hath the good hand of the Lord gone along with us i to the punifliing of them, with'whom we would willingly have ioyned in a League of brotherly love and amide > Frederick. Pr. Elector Palatine^ tooke away' Pythes from the. Miniftrie for the like.cnd; And did no the, andhisflofe all, their Countrey forneerc thirtie yeares together > yea, foir.e of his Rights and Priviledges are fo totally taken from his Pofttride, that in probability none of his heires can ever be able to recover them : Ye a,if I be not mif-informed, after he. tooke.the Minifters maintenance in 'Bohemia into his owne hands, payd thirii Well the firft yeare, indifferent .wellithe fecond yeare', in the third yeare the Emperour com- meth and foopeth ill away from him and them. And- hbw doth his lonne now feele the want, of Minifters in : the • Fdatinatc? But to leave thefe foreign examples^ come merer home:- Biii} the eighth, who was an exaft Modell of Tyrannic, in • vi\i o.e Afts you may fee a large Map of Ty rannicall Oppref. ftom of all forts: He tooke Impropriadons ; and fold them the value of which Impropriations, together with Abbey- Lands,and others of the like nature,to which they .weft-an¬ nexed, might be reckoned to be the fourth part ot England: yet in a few yeans after died fo poore, that.he was not able at his death to give his ttvo Daughters in feadie Money ten thoufand pound a piece to their Portion, but lefc ic to be payd out of the Revenues , that came into his Exchequer : * albeit in his Daughters time, many C'tizcni in London, and,: others,did give farre greater Portions with their Daughters. Yea, it was the obfervadon of a Knight, who fiyth to this effeft .: I kriotv not bore it commit b to pajp } yet Ifind it to he foyb/t ■ Henry ihi eighth and hit Pefleritii reigned mely jo many yearn in ; pLZlgl&ndyafter.tbepjiJfing airay of Impropriations, iJt'Nebuchad- - nezzar and hie Poferitie reigned in Babylon, after the taking away the k'ejfels of the temple. 2. As for the Parliament that palled them away , it was Bi that ( 10 ) (hat which a man of God was wont to fay, as I have heard it irotn the mouth or one of hi* Congregation, That the Ear¬ il am.n: of England,, after .they pa fed areay^ through Henry the eighths infiigation,the Impropriations , loft their owne Verliamcn- tme Frivikdges. T his we ajl know;Par]iament-Privi] edges, and its PoWer,were afterwards fo broken and loft, that till of i ate they could never be regained, and then with the ex¬ pence of a great deale of Bloud,and Treafure. 3. The Purchalers that bought them of Henry the eighth, how few of their Pofteritie enjoy tbefe Impropriations which their Fathers purchafed > Of thofe Thou'fands that were then purchafed,there are not Hundreds in the hands of the Heires of the firft Purchafers. We might in fiance in many Impropriations, which have changedtheir Owners nigh & dozen times; yea, many of them felling them, not through deiireof gainc, to purchafe greater eft*tes, but through nc- cc!litie.to latisfie thofe Debts,which after they had purchafed them,they did run into. The obfervation whereof,moved a m.m of God to think and averre, Had it not been for thiffuany a fairs Family bad .it this day ftood.xrbieb if now ruinated. a.. The tyrannical! Bifhops of our times, who would ra? ther have poore Minifters then good, hindred the buying in of Impropriations, by the Feoffees entrufted to that puc- pofe: Thefe took the Money into their owne Coffers, which was given by the Minifters. And did not the hand of God goe out againft them afterwards, befooling them in all their Ccunfds and Undertakings in England and Scotland? They, quickly loft their owne eftates, which not onely hindred in the buying of thefe,but alfb tooke.the benefit of (hat Money into theirowne hands. And finely it is remarkable,that wc . reade in the New Teftament but offew Judgements that the Lord inuiffed on ungodly men that lived in the Pale of the Church; the Lord in Golpel-times delighting to walke in his Church in a way of Merck rather then in a way of judg- ment: Yet there is mention made of Amnios and Sapbira-,-. which brought a certains part of tbs price of the pfteffm^nd I tjd it at the Apeftletfcet) A 3 . 5. i,2. when as they had confecra- tcd.by their owne gift,the whole. Thefe were by the feveritic 00 ) of Gods jufticeftruck dead, as invaders of Gods right, from. which they did pare ondBpiQffi|>|fti^-&;risesirps 4 ^ff»ified>*. Thus we fee it is dangerQusidippmg SQf thstyjKhieheithcr; we,orotherSihavefaGodsfiaanpf'oh; ic j; : ; : i But it is objefted, ObjcS, i. Thepayment oftythci Ua grievous oppreffion. Jlnjw. But thisisohely objefted^utnbtiprovcd.EQrwhere, i's-the oppre(l!on-,wlitJva's thb orleaiecciyq th iio-ipor^then was* firftgiVfHiout;befdre-ti»eather.purcha'fC'ci;8t,the : Eree-holder, enjoyeth as much as-he or his Anceftors ever purcliafed > . •.. Surely,if this maintenance weredifannulled^and the Mi- ; ‘ nifter maintained by Taxes(asfomedelire)thi6 haply might carry in fome mens eftates fome colour of oppreflion with it: but when as it was fet out long before any Free-holders e- ftate was purchafed,there can be no (hew of oppreffion in it. Befidesjthefe men that Petition againft Tjtbes, asan oppref- (ionj doe not they ignorantly deiire to exprtfle two hundred thoufand in their total maintenance,and the greater,part of the poor of the Land in fome part of their maintenance,and many of the Gentry in the rights annexed to their Mannors? for i. If there be aboveten thoufand:Famllies ofMinifters that live upon Tyther , and foure or five thoufand Impropria¬ tors, the greateft part of whofe Ii velyhood is the benefit of their Impropriations; and many of thefemaintaine, befides . their jowrie, fome one, fome two, fomet hree; fome.raore Fa¬ milies, by keeping the poore Mafter in continnall imploy- ment. So that they would have the totall.prefcnt mainte¬ nance taken away from thirds or three andrlurtie thoufand Familieswhich if but fix in a Family,..ihenumherwill a- roo'unt nigh to two hundred thoafandperfon?, that would begrfcat!'.' dpprefied.if net totally, ruined thereby, ■ 2, Beiides the Ioffe of Patronage) which Patrons would' receive ; which is ab--ir proper Right annexed to their Man-, nors which thejrand their Anceftoi'S-were as/Feoffees in- trVifKd by Paritefr ; to pceferve the Rights'ofthpfe places over which thfiy were intruded, : andiiad ;the PrOprietie, of Patronage committed to them. 3. Would not the poore generally fuffer Ioffe, though the B 3 eyes cyes of many of them are not yet open to fte;it> They count in mofl common fields,and Ithinkmot aTnifle,that their very gleanings to-be a third part a*: much after the.Tjtbe, as after the reft of the Crop. They may live foorc or five miles from a Market;whither can they goe in many places to buy Corn, but to theMinifter, who doth oft furnilh their necdlities '! vea,-fome dfthem under the Market,and that without readie Money ; betides the ftraw.andiother benefits, which if once out of the Minifters hands, the poore would quickly groane under the Ioffe that they fhould receive thereby; which now they feare rior,becaufe they doe not feele it. Oh,let it be farre from the Governoui s ofourLand to enaft that,which might ' cccation God tohavea Controveriie with England^ he had with /'r^ ; ’/;and to fay.of as as he did ok lud.ib-, 1 looked for Judgement. but behold Opprejioti -,fir Rigkteoafntp^ but bebolcl a C rie } Ifj.y.7. -Forjif the Criebuiaforit Labourer which reapetb downejmr Haro eft, for det living of bit wages but a [fort time. Peat. 2 4. 14, 15. cOHVmeth it.no ibz cares of the Lord of-Hofs, ■ ^ro.5.4/ Oh,what aloud noyfe will theCrie c-f lb many Families of the Lords Labourers make in his earts, when as ei. her their maintenance is totally taken away, or it is Co ftraitned that they cannot doe the Lords work with joy and delight,-by real on of outward Cares > If this Ihould ever : come to pailc in this Land, my foule Ihould wtepe in iccret places, and mine eyes Ihould run downe with tear.es day and night; not fo much for the great outward Ioffe that Gods ; Minifters would fuftaine, (for the great Houle-keeper of the World could,and without doubt would provide for his own fervants in fome place orother) but for the Parliament, for the Armie, for theCommon-wealth,& for the pleafant Land of myNativitie,whicharedcare in mine eyes: For I fhould have occalion to feare,our Shield would depart from us, and wot 10 us when be departtib from wr, Hof. 6.12. . ObjeB. 2. A great number doe Petition againft Jjthes. Aafw. I wote.that through ignorance moft of the people, yca,foraeof the chiefe Petitioners doe it: which number of Petitioners (if they did Petition againft nothing elfe but ‘Ijtbes t riQt drawing in parties by joint- Petitioning for Lome nccefiarie necelfarie things)comtneth farrefhort of thenumber pf thofe that wobldbe injured,by granting t ha tthey defire; whereat if the multitudes were ten thoufand times more then are, that {hould defire it, if'there were but one man opprefled, .yet the Magiftrate hath a ftrift Law that binds him , m to followa Multitude to dee evi%nor fo much as to, a Caufe, to declimafttrmanj torvrefl Judgement, Exed.2^2. > ObjeQ. 3. But many of thefe would have Impropriations fati>fied for,according to their value and worth. Anfo. Jt is fit,that when as they part with them,that they fhould be fatisiied for them •, for they bought them of the . Kings of ;this Land at dearer Rates then Abbey Lands, and other the. like Lands, that were then purchafed with them; and had them confirmed to them by Parliament: which maketh them by our Law as fully theirs,as any Frec-hold is, or as our Law can make them. Betides, thefe people know not what the value of Impro¬ priations is,who doe fpeake of re-purchafing the*i: Impro¬ priations are judged to be twice as much in value, as all the Parfonages and Vicarages that are in Minifters hands. The Impropriations,which are about foure thoufand,there being fcarce any Market To.wne, few great Parities, of which tjie Rework'is riot' impropriated.; Some ate valued to be,yvorth two. thoufand a year,fome fifteen hundred, fome a^theufand, many five hundred arid foure hundred, the greater part two hundred,few under a hundred* which,if valued at two hun- dred'aycarc onewith another, they come to eight hundred thoufand a yeare, which at! tfen yeares purch^fe only amotjp- teth : to eight millions; which would require mow thep|fiye yearcs fax and Excife to re-purch?fe A where Pa rifhes, wKpefe Tjthes are not impropriated,would think it an injury to them to joy n in. a common Tax for re Are mans wayes equall, and fhall the wayes of the God of Heaven be unequall > Oh, let not that proceed from the mouth ot Chriftians, to charge that with injufiicc in any people, which Gcd preferibed to his owne people as moft juft and equall. Now the Lord of Heaven and Earth, in whofe hands are the hearts of all men, whoturneththemwhitfier-foev#he will, lb direft the heart of this and of all other Parliaments of our Land,that they may not imitate Holland^ and be guil- tie of that which Samuel (heweth fhould be one of the tinnes of Kinss, i Sam.%. 15. To tafe the tenth of thnr Seed,and of their Viagardt, and to give them to their officers, and ferVants : But that they may enaft fuch righteous Lawes amongft us, that judgement may ran downe as waters, and Righreouf- nege as a mightie ftreame, that the Lord may delight tQ dwell amongft us, and that we may be a Crowne of Glory, in the hand of the Lord, and a Royall Diademe in the hand of our God s that the Nations may fee ourRightcoufnefle, and the Kings of the Earth our Glory. FINIS .