An Answer to a Printed Paper called The Lord Craven's Case.  
THe many Reasons offered for Reading the Lord Craven's Petition in order to his relief, whereby the Honour and Justice of the Parliament is endeavoured to be aspersed, and the security of the Purchaser, endeavoured to be weakened, in short are these:  
That the Resolve of Parliament( March 1650) declared that he was an Offender, within an Irish Resolve grounded upon Letters from Sir Charles coat, and that his Estate was confiscate, the same moment the Information was red against him.  
Without 

Charge.  
Impeachment.  
legal Summons.  
Or, Hearing.    
Four moneths after Confiscation there was a Resolve in the nature of a Summons dated in July 1651. requiring an appearance Septemper following.  
Several Petitions in his behalf red in Parliament before passing the Bill of Sale, offering to prove one falconer the single witness upon which the Confiscation was grounded.  
That falconer was afterwards convicted of Perjury in the Upper-Bench upon that deposition, and that falconer was a debauched Person.  
That falconer since the Conviction, upon his death he confessed himself perjured in that particular, and some Paper to that purpose.  
That the Lord Craven hath made several Addresses for relief ever since the long Parliament.  
That most of the Purchasers have had such beneficial Bargains, as that they have already reimbursed themselves the purchase money.  
That the last Parliament were pleased to hear the Case at their House, and that it did not take up above an hour and halves time, and nothing then offered against the Proceeding of the Parliament, but the Journals of Parliament, Fawkner's Conviction and his death-bed Confession.  
The State of the Lord Craven's Case, of which there hath been so much talk and clamour, fomented by all manner of Persons disaffected to the Government, to the great scandal of the public Justice of this Nation, is in short but this: ( viz.)  
By an Act of Parliament, the Lord Craven's Estate, 
August. 4. 1652.  amongst several other Delinquents was exposed to Sale, to satisfy the public engagements of this Nation; in pursuance whereof, there was sold as much of his Estate, as the purchase money amounts to almost Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds, and was conveyed to above Five Hundred Original Purchasers, dispersed in several parts of the Nation, and since conveyed to divers other Persons: all which have been in possession ever since. All which Sales are endeavoured to be avoided, upon the Reasons aforementioned of which every one will receive a full and satisfactory Answer.  
To say that a Resolve of Parliament there was called an Irish Resolve, is grounded upon Letters from Sir Charles coat, the Particulars of these also not appearing, is a bold and confident Assertion, and certainly not true; because it is likewise mentioned, that other Informations were red in against him: it seems so clear an evidence of his delinquency, that it produced that immediate Resolve of the House, so much complained of.  
As to the second, What Delinquent was there in any of the three Acts that had any Formal Charge, Impeachment, legal Summons, or Hearing, that appears upon the File in Parliament, against any of them; And yet here it appears by their own showing, there was both Charge and Informations; and more appears against the Lord Craven then against all the Delinquents in the three Acts.  
It appears by their own third and fourth Reasons, that before the Bill of Sale passed in 1652. there was Summons sent out; which undeniably appears,( by his correspondency with Agents here, and his taking notice of every passage) did come to his knowledge, and several Petitions preferred in his behalf; several long debates in Parliament, betwixt the first Resolve and the Bill, being near two years time, and the most part of that offered before the Bill of Sale, that have or can be offered since.  
As to the fith and fixth Reasons, all grounded upon false Supposals, that the Confiscation and Bill of Sale, was only grounded upon the depositions of falconer: It is most clearly otherwise, there being no less then the Informations of seven other Persons, ( viz.) Kitchinam, Roley, Benson, Mawbray, Drury, Briscoe and Bradsey, all produced in Parliament against him, besides what might be offered by every individual Member, impossible now to be known. And besides all this, in May 1651. there is an Appeal from the Justice of the Parliament made on his behalf, to the States of Holland, and sent over hither by our ambassadors then there, and red in Parliament the sixth of June 1651. which adds a further Charge: So as to lay all the ground and stress of the Bill of Sale upon the single Evidence of falconer only, must needs be a wilful mistake, in the Publisher of the Printed Paper.  
As to the Conviction of Fawkners perjury, which was only in the words barbarous and inhuman Rebels, and his Confession since, although admitting it should be true, it hath not such weight in the case, yet how easy it is to convict the truth of perjury by such Witnesses as were then produced against falconer.  
By a Jury who seldom had any affectation to such as had purchased Delinquents Lands, where they had the least latitude of Evidence to find against them, cannot be unknown to any person that hath been much acquainted with business this seven years last past.  
As to his Confession since his Conviction, if he were such a person as they would render him upon his trial; It's a wonder they should lay so much weight upon his Confession, since, so as he that was a Devil before to do them mischief, must now be made a Saint to serve their turns; and whither a long Imprisonment at their mercy, and such continual solicitations as he must needs have, when so great an Estate lay at stake, as they thought upon his Testimony only; whether these might not work as much with a necessitous person, as his pretended terror of conscience: it certainly may without the least breach of Charity, be fit to be cosidered.  
The seventh makes strongly against the receiving any Petition in the Lord Craven's Case; for if there have been so many Addresses to all those several Powers and Parliaments ever since the Bill of Sale, to the great charge and trouble of the Purchasers, and the great disparagement of their Title: And all their Petitions and Addresses have from time to time proved altogether ineffectual. It is certainly a plain Evidence of the unjustnesse and unreasonableness of their desires, so that there is no Justice to relieve them.  
The Eighth is utterly denied, the Purchasers generally professing, and many of them ready to make it appear, they have not as yet received their very Interest money; and that by reason of the continual claim and pretences that are made by the Lord Craven and his Friends, they are altogether disabled, either to sell, Mortgage, settle or dispose of their Estates, upon such Advantages, and terms as other men may; so as in truth, they are no such beneficial Purchases as is pretended: However, they having already born the greatest hazards, and furnished the Commonwealth with Money, at their greatest extremities, do humbly conceive, that it will be thought very reasonable, they should enjoy their Bargains, no defects either natural or accidental, being certainly any way to be alleged to be in the supreme Council of the Nation.  
As to the last, the hearing in the last Parliament, what was done the Purchasers knew not, few of them having notice, and no defence made; but certainly the Lord Craven nor his Friends can reasonably expect or imagine, that this present Honourable House of Parliament should so little Esteem the Acts of their predecessors, or the Purchasers so slightly neglect their Interests, many of their whole Estates and Portunes depending upon that Title, as to have an Act of Parliament declared to be unjust; and the Purchasers ruined in so short a time, or upon so slender an Evidence, as is intimated by the Printed Paper.  
FINIS.