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throne, began to quarrel with his subjects. He twi Parliament, levied forced loans, arbitrarily impris who refused to make such loans, and otherwise tyrant. When Charles's third Parliament met in 1 mediately began the consideration of these grieva king attempted to satisfy his opponents by a simpl tion of the Great Charter, such as had often been often disregarded, by former monarchs. Parliam to be cajoled, however, and under the leadership of Coke passed the Petition of Right. The king ratifi against his will, in order to obtain a grant of mone legislature. This statute, which has the form of a p the first important restriction of the powers of the C the accession of the Tudor dynasty.

PETITION OF RIGHT, 1628

To the King's most excellent Majesty

I. Humbly show unto our sovereign lord, the king Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons in Parliament that, whereas it is declared and enacted by a statute made of the reign of King Edward I, commonly called Statutum non Concedendo,2 that no tallage or aid shall be laid or le king or his heirs in this realm, without the good-will an the archbishops, bishops, earls, barons, knights, burgesses the freemen of the commonalty of this realm; and by a [the] Parliament held in the five-and-twentieth year of t King Edward III,3 it is declared and enacted that from the

1 Statutes of the Realm, v, 24-25 (3 Charles I, c. 1).

2 This supposed statute is not found, however, in any authori It was probably a preliminary draft of the baronial demands granted in tion of the Charters by Edward I in 1297.

3 This statute, also, does not appear upon the statute books.

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be charged by any charge or imposition ca by such like charge; by which statutes other the good laws and statutes of this rea inherited this freedom, that they should no tribute to any tax, tallage, aid, or other 1 common consent in parliament.

II. Yet nevertheless of late divers commi commissions in several counties, with instr means whereof your people have been in and required to lend certain sums of money many of them upon their refusal so to do have tered to them, not warrantable by the laws o and have been constrained to become boun and give utterance before your Privy Cour and others of them have been therefore in sundry other ways molested and disquieted; have been laid and levied upon your people lord lieutenants, deputy lieutenants, com justices of [the] peace, and others, by com your Majesty, or your Privy Council, agains toms of the realm.

III. And whereas also by the statute call of the liberties of England" it is declared a man may be taken or imprisoned, or be dis liberties, or his free customs, or be outlaw manner destroyed, but by the lawful judgm the law of the land.

IV. And in the eighth-and-twentieth y Edward III, it was declared and enacted ment that no man, of what estate or conditi put out of his land or tenements, nor tak disherited, nor put to death, without being due process of law.

V. Nevertheless, against the tenor of the the good laws and statutes of your realm to t of your subjects have of late been impris showed. And when for their deliverance t

into their houses, and there to suffer them to sojourn against laws and customs of this realm, and to the great grievance and v tion of the people.

VII. And whereas, also, by authority of Parliament in the and-twentieth year of King Edward III it is declared and ena that no man shall be forejudged of life or limb against the form the Great Charter and the law of the land, and by the said G Charter and other the laws and statutes of this your realm no ought to be adjudged to death but by the laws established in your realm, either by the customs of the said realm or by acts of liament. And whereas no offender of what kind soever is exemp from the proceedings to be used and punishments to be inflicted the laws and statutes of this your realm: nevertheless of late t divers commissions under your Majesty's Great Seal have issued fo by which certain persons have been assigned and appointed c missioners with power and authority to proceed within the land, cording to the justice of martial law, against such soldiers or m ners, or other dissolute persons joining with them, as should com any murder, robbery, felony, mutiny, or other outrage or misdemea whatsoever, and by such summary course and order as is agreea to martial law, and as is used in armies in time of war, to proceed the trial and condemnation of such offenders, and them to cause be executed and put to death according to the law martial.

VIII. By pretext whereof some of your Majesty's subjects ha been by the said commissioners put to death, when and where, if the laws and statutes of the realm they had deserved death, by t same laws and statutes also they might, and by no other ought to ha been, judged and executed.

IX. And also sundry grievous offenders, by color thereof claimi an exemption, have escaped the punishments due to them by the la

benevolence, tax, or such like charge, without common consen act of Parliament. And that none be called to make answer, o take such oath, or to give attendance, or be confined, or other molested or disquieted concerning the same or for refusal ther And that no freeman, in any such manner as is before mentioned imprisoned or detained. And that your Majesty would be ple to remove the said soldiers and mariners, and that your people not be so burdened in time to come. And that the aforesaid com sions, for proceeding by martial law, may be revoked and annu And that hereafter no commissions of like nature may issue fort! any person or persons whatsoever, to be executed as aforesaid, by color of them any of your Majesty's subjects be destroyed or to death, contrary to the laws and franchise of the land.

XI. All which they most humbly pray of your most exce Majesty as their rights and liberties, according to the laws and s utes of this realm; and that your Majesty would also vouchsaf declare that the awards, doings, and proceedings, to the prejudic your people in any of the premises, shall not be drawn hereafter consequence or example; and that your Majesty would be graciously pleased, for the further comfort and safety of your peo to declare your royal will and pleasure that in the things aforesaid your officers and ministers shall serve you according to the laws statutes of this realm, as they tender the honor of your Majesty the prosperity of this kingdom.

at Boston in May, 1643. As explained in the last articl Plymouth representatives did not ratify the document the following September. Neither the Rhode Island ments nor those in Maine were ever included in the con ation. Though dissolved in 1684, the confederation prov be of great service to the colonies in their dealings with common enemies, and it furnished a precedent for colonial in the eighteenth century.

NEW ENGLAND CONFEDERATION, 1643

Articles of Confederation betwixt the Plantations under the Government of the Massachusetts, the Plantations under the Government of Plymouth, the Plantations under the Government of Connecticut, and the Government of New Haven, with the Plantations in Combination therewith

Whereas, we all came into these parts of America, with on the same end and aim, namely, to advance the kingdom of our Jesus Christ, and to enjoy the liberties of the Gospel in purity peace; and whereas in our settling (by a wise providence of we are further dispersed upon the seacoasts and rivers than w first intended, so that we cannot (according to our desire) with venience communicate in one government and jurisdiction; whereas we live encompassed with people of several nations strange languages, which hereafter may prove injurious to us and

1 Records of the Colony or Jurisdiction of New Haven, 1653-1664, pp. 562 Edited by C. J. Hoadly. Hartford, 1858.

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