To the honorable the Commons in Parliament assembled the humble petition and remonstrance of Edmond Rolph, prisoner in the Gatehouse, Westminster Rolph, Edmund. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A91958 of text R210893 in the English Short Title Catalog (Thomason 669.f.13[12]). 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 A91958 Wing R1891 Thomason 669.f.13[12] ESTC R210893 99869644 99869644 162907 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. A91958) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 162907) Images scanned from microfilm: (Thomason Tracts ; 246:669f13[12]) To the honorable the Commons in Parliament assembled the humble petition and remonstrance of Edmond Rolph, prisoner in the Gatehouse, Westminster Rolph, Edmund. 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [London : 1648] Imprint from Wing. Annotation on Thomason copy: "Sept ye 5th 1648". Reproduction of the original in the British Library. eng Charles -- I, -- King of England, 1600-1649 -- Early works to 1800. Rolph, Edmund -- Imprisonment -- Early works to 1800. Detention of persons -- England -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- History -- Civil War, 1642-1649 -- Early works to 1800. A91958 R210893 (Thomason 669.f.13[12]). civilwar no To the honorable the Commons in Parliament assembled; the humble petition and remonstrance of Edmond Rolph, prisoner in the Gatehouse, Westm Rolph, Edmund 1648 1143 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2007-07 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-08 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-09 Elspeth Healey Sampled and proofread 2007-09 Elspeth Healey Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion To the Honorable the Commons in Parliament assembled ; The humble Petition and Remonstrance of Edmond Rolph , Prisoner in the Gatehouse , WESTMINSTER : SHEWETH , THat in Judgment and Conscience he hath adventured his life for the Preservation of the Honor and just Power of Parliaments , with the Freedoms , Liberties and Properties of the Free-born People of this Nation . That as heretofore , so at present , all the endeavors of wicked and malicious men , are bent and imployed to wound and destroy both the Parliaments Honor , and the Peoples Liberties , by subtle designments and scandalous aspersions , thereby to render both the Parliament , Army , and all godly people adhering to them , odious in the eyes of the Nation . That in order to the end aforesaid , one Osbourn and Dowcet hath lately made a false and scandalous suggestion , bruting it abroad that there was a design to poyson the King ; and because it was necessary that they should father the design upon some body , they have layd it upon the whole Army in general , and upon your Petitioner in particular ; using all means , by colour of the said suggestion , to exasperate the People to resist the Authority of Parliament , and to weaken their power by the destruction of that Army , which by the blessing of God hath been your protection to this day , maugre the malice of your adversaries . That by means of the said Suggestion , your Petitioner hath been by a party of the Lords imprisoned and sentenced contrary to Law , without hearing , yea without legal Crime or legal Accuser ; having not only his life end angered by his cruel usage , in the time of his bodily distemper , but also his name and credit destroyed by having that scandalous imputation of a Traytor cast upon him . That this House hath declared it to be a heinous Crime , against the Law of Nature , against the Rules of Justice that innocent men should be charged with so high an Offence as Treason in the face of the highest Judicatory of the Kingdom , without Witness , without Evidence , without all possibility of legal Repairation : 1 part Book Decl. pag. 201. That by the Law of the Kingdom no person ought to be imprisoned , indicted , arraigned , or condemned for any Treason or Treasons , without the testimony of two Lawful Accusers , as appears by the Statute of 5 & 6 of Edw. 6. Chap. 11. as was largely proved at the open Bar at the Assize and general Goal-delivery held at Winchester for the County of Southampton , by Mr Maynard Counsellor at Law , and a Member of this honorable House . That contrary to this and many other good Laws , providing against this evil , your Petitioner hath not only been detained in prison without any legal Warrant , but hath also been indicted contrary to Law , ( the said Indictment being drawn up here by the Kings Councel , and by the said Lords transmitted to be found at Winchester by the Grand-Jury , ) and yet your Petitioner kept Prisoner in the Gatehouse . That in order thereunto , Osbourn and Dowcet were by the Lords sent to Winchester to give Evidence to the Grand-Jury upon the said Indictment ; which they accordingly did on the 28 of August , 1648. That notwithstanding the said Indictment did consist of four several heads of Treason , wherein the whole Army as well as Your Petitioner was accused , yet the said Osbourn and Dowcet gave nothing material in evidence , whereon an Indictment could be grounded ; so that upon the examination of the whole matter , the Grand Jury returned an Ignoramus upon the said Bill of Indictment , as by a Certificate from the Clerk of the Assize more plainly appeareth . That Your Petitioner , notwithstanding he is clear in the eye of the Law , and in the consciences of all honest men , yet he is still a Prisoner to the will of the Lords , and left without a possibility of legal repairation , both for his illegal imprisonment , besides his great charges and damages in his estate and credit sustained , being left without all possibility of vindication or reparation , unless this Honorable House be pleased ( as in like cases heretofore ) to take him into consideration , and as a manifestation of their just sense , of their own , and the Armies honor , and Your Petitioners unparaleld sufferings , find some expedient both for the enlargement , vindication and repairation of Your Petitioner ; The Judges being both corrupt , and so neerly concerned ; the Lords so powerful ; and Osbourn and Dowcet so beggarly ; that it is impossible Your Petitioner should ever be repaired in his estate or credit , without Your Justice be exercised in the obtaining thereof . The Premisses considered , may it please Your Honors , ( seeing that both Your own , and the Armies Honor hath been blemished by the said scandalous information , ) That therefore some publication may be made by the Authority and Approbation of this House , of the proceedings in relation to this business , to the end that Your , and the Armies Honor may be vindicated , and Your Petitioners name and credit so far as may be repaired ; and that some legal way may be taken for the freedom and repairation of Your Petitioner , who is greatly impoverished by the said Imprisonment , it having cost him nigh 120 l. of his estate since the time of his restraint , besides the great damage received in his name and credit , which is altogether unrepairable . And forasmuch as the Judges are appointed to sit with the Lords as their Assistants in point of Law , and ought to inform them by what rule they are to proceed , being sworn thereunto , and yet have , contrary to Law and their Oaths , connived at the apparent subversion of the fundamental Laws of this Nation , by suffering such illegal Warrants to pass from time to time from the Lords upon such illegal Accusations ; That therefore this House would be pleased to call the said Judges to an Account for these their undue proceedings ; and out of their estates ( who ought to have prevented Your Petitioners sufferings & damages ) to allow him such legal repairations as to Your Honors shall seem meet and couvenient . And he shall pray , &c.