MOLA ASINARIA: OR, The Unreasonable and Insupportable burden Now pressed upon The Shoulders of this groaning NATION: BY The headless Head, and unruly Rulers, that usurp upon the Liberties and privileges of the oppressed People. Held forth in a REMONSTRANCE To all those that have yet sound and impartial Ears to hear, and duly weighed in the Scales of Equity and Justice.  
By William Prynne, Bencher of Lincolns-inn.  
Wherein is demonstrated, What Slavery the Nation must subject itself to, by allowing the lawfulness and usurped Authority of the pretended LONG PARLIAMENT Now unlawfully and violently held at WESTMINSTER.  
Jusque datum Sceleri.  
Printed at London, in the Year MDCLVIX.   

Mola Asinaria, &c.  
Countrymen:  
THere is not any thing in the Universe deserves less to be a Member of it, than a self-seeking Man, who unconcerned in the public Good, regards only his private Interest. The World unwillingly contributes to his maintenance; and Nature less abhors a Vacuum, then that any place should be filled by a Subject so empty of desert. He is a savage Creature in the midst of civil People, not deserving to be born of others, as not caring to live, but for himself. Nay, it is worthily reputed a kind of civil death, to do nothing else but live: for as long as we have a Country to abide in, we have a duty to tender it. All we have, we have from it; and by consequence owe it all we have. Our Lives and Fortunes are safest, when ventured for the public Interest; and he is the truest Lover of Law and Liberty, that affects rather to be ruled, then to rule; he the freest Subject, that creates himself a voluntary Slave to his country's service. Take from the world this inviolable Law, (that is not writ in brass, but deeply imprinted in loyal hearts) and it shall again turn savage and barbarous. This is a truth so manifest, and not to be dissembled, that never yet was there a Tyrant, but pretended to be a Saviour of the people. Liberty, Conscience, a glorious Nation, The Good Old Cause, and such specious Names are made use of: 
Tacit.  Nec quisquam alienum servitium & dominationem concupivit, ut non eadem ista vocabula usurparit. These Machiavilian Tricks, and political Cheats so often put upon the people of our Nation, methinks should have by this time undeceived us with a sad experience of the miseries we have subjected ourselves to, by a perpetual itch of reforming, annulling, creating Laws, and framing new Governments to the model of every Grandees ambition; and yet we are again ready to thrust our Necks into a new yoke of Slavery, rather than any man will engage his private Fortunes, and venture to redeem his Country from Bondage. It is laid to the charge of Englishmen by foreigners, that we are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, and above all Nations under Heaven pretending to civility, the greatest self-seekers; as regarding much more our own particular, than the general concerns. I must needs say, other Nations would have canonised for Martyrs, and erected Statues after their death to the memory of some of our Compatriots, whom ye have barbarously defaced and mangled yet alive, for no other motive, but their undaunted Zeal. It has been (I know not whether I should say) your misfortune, or my glory, to become a Sufferer for a Legal Vindication of the Liberties of our Kingdom; but yet I never knew what it was to fear, when I perceived myself engaged in so good a cause; not envy nor snarling Pamphlets shall stop the course of my Pen freely running into my country's defence, which my Profession and Age forbid me to vindicate by the Sword. Let young Men serve it with their strength and arms, let old Men secure it by their heads and counsel: for my part, I desire to live no longer than I can in some sort contribute to so glorious a work. I have of late been snarled at for it by certain licentious scribblers, that durst not own their names for fear of discovering their ass's ears: however, they are pleased to twitch at the honourable remnant of mine. They thought to have stopped my mouth by their brawling and braying; but I dare yet speak louder; and I hope I shall be heard by all such as have yet sound and impartial ears: but if my cry will not reach you, I fear (dear countrymen) the voice of blood will speedily interrupt your slumbering security. Those that will be Lawless, find fault with my Writings, because I vindicate the anciently established Laws of England; and tax me of desperate nonsense, because I will not allow them an unlimited, unlegal Legislative Power to repeal, annul, alter, and enact what Laws soever they deem best to serve their own turns. They deceitfully cry out, Salus populi suprema lex esto! 
Cicero.  an axiom that I no ways deny to be true; but I would desire to be instructed who are to be Judges, of what is expedient for the good of the people? The Author of the forecited maxim says, Leges Magistratibus praesunt, ut Magistratus praesunt populo: And the great Doctor St. Austin not doubted to affirm, that those societies where Law and Justice is not, are not commonwealths or Kingdoms, 
De civit. Dei.  but Magna latrocinia, great thefts and trapanning cheats. As for the power of altering Laws, or bringing in new ones, and setting up new Governments, it is allowed by wise men, that all power lawfully exercised upon a Commonwealth, must necessarily be derived either from the appointment of God, who is supreme Lord of all; or from the consent of the Society itself, that hath the next power to his, of disposing of their own Liberty, as they shall think fit for their good, whose benefit is the end of all Government. Therefore whoever arrogates such power to himself, that cannot produce one of these two Titles, is not a Ruler, but an Invader, or a Tyrant. Now how this pretended Long Parliament, restored by the force of soldiers, by whose force it had first been dissolved, and was before annulled by the death or murder of King Charles the first, that summoned it, he being Principium, causa, & finis Parliamenti; after his murder, the house of Lords and Monarchy being abolished, and so many of the ancient Members thrown out, new ones unduly elected, and such horrid thefts, rapes, &c. committed by them upon the people, can lawfully be said the people's Representatives, and authorized by them, is the greatest Riddle that ever was propounded to a puzzled State. It was in the year 1649, that I published a Legal Vindication of the Liberties of England; in which I demonstrated the nullity of the then-pretended Long Parliament; and lately I set forth a lively pattern of the spurious Old Cause pretended to be revived and vindicated by the fine Pageant or now-sitting Ghost of the long-since departed Long Parliament; neither need I reason farther with reasonable Persons about it: Yet since this fantastical Hob-gobbling appears still to fright the quiet people, and tempts them (like an evil Spirit) to give themselves to such an unruly Devil; I will here only hold forth to the view of all good Englishmen, what slavery they must needs subject themselves unto, if they resolve to cast off forever their lawful Master and sovereign, and take for new Masters these upstart domineering Tyrants. Let then every honest freeborn Subject of England, lay his hand upon his breast, and ask of his own Conscience, whether notwithstanding all former Oaths of Allegiance, Supremacy, Protestation, solemn Leagues and Covenants, &c. he can voluntarily submit to, and thereby freely acknowledge, contrary to his former knowledge and the said Oath, &c.  
1. That there may be, and now is a lawfully-assembled Parliament of England actually in being, legally continuing after the late King's death, or lawfully reassembled without King, Lords, or most of their fellow-Members, consisting only of a few late Members of the Commons House.  
2. That this Parliament re-established by a Military force▪ and packed together by Power of an Army combining with them, hath just and lawful Authority, and had it before; 

1. To arraign, condemn and execute their lawful King himself, with the Peers and Commons of this Realm.  
2. To disinherit the King's Posterity of the Crown.  
3. To extirpate Monarchy, and the whole house of Peers.  
4. To violate the privileges, Rights, Freedoms, Customs, and alter the Constitution of Parliaments themselves; to change and subvert the ancient Government, Seals, Laws, Writs, Courts and coin of the Kingdom.  
5. To sell and dispose of all the Lands, Revenues, Jewels, Goods of the Crown, with the Lands of Deans and Chapters, for their own advantages, not for the easing of the people from taxes.  
6. To dispose of the Forts, Ships, Forces, Offices of Honour, Power, Trust or Profit, to whom they please.  
7. To raise and keep up what Forces by Land or Sea they please, and impose Taxes, &c. to make what new Acts, Laws, and reverse what old ones they think meet.  
8. To absolve themselves (by more than a Papal Power) and all the subjects of this Land, from all the aforesaid Oaths, Engagements, Protestations, &c.  
9 To permit, settle, or invent what Sect, heresy, or Religion they please, provided they be not Papacy or Prelacy, and that they allow not blasphemy against the Trinity.  
10. I ask now if every freeborn Subject that hath not raised himself an Interest by villainy, or an Estate by robbery, or incurred a guilt to the Gallows for having his hand in blood, had not better venture Life and Fortunes to reduce the true and lawful Heir into a peaceful Possession of his right, then to authorise by his consent a new-fangled Government compacted of Treason, Usurpation, Tyranny, Theft and Murder?    
FINIS.