POLITICAL CONSTITUTIONS

O F

Great-Britain and Ireland,

Afferted and vindicated;

THE

CONNECTION and COMMON INTEREST of both Kingdoms, demonstrated;

AND THE

GRIEVANCES, which each, more especially the later, with it's Capital, has suffered, under oppressive and tyrannical Governors, ufurping and lawless Magiftrates, dependent and iniquitous Judges, and Spurious and corrupt Parlements,

Set forth in feveral

ADDRESSES and LETTERS

TO THE

FREE-CITIZENS of DUBLIN;

First delivered and published with the fole Intent to detect public Abuses, to revive the ORIGINAL PRINCIPLES of the POLICY, and to restore the CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOM of ELECTIONS, in general, thofe of MEMBERS of PARLEMENT, in particular;

Now republished as a cautionary Information to the City of LONDON, and for the Juftification of the AUTHOR,

CHARLES

LUCAS,

A FREE-CITIZEN of Dublin, while Dublin was, now an Exile for the Caufe of TRUTH and the LIBERTY of his Country.

To which are added,

The CENSOR: or, the CITIZENS JOURNAL.

AND

An APPENDIX, containing the ADDRESS of the MERCHANTS and TRADERS, Citizens of DUBLIN, to his MAJESTY, and the DECLARATIONS and RESOLUTIONS of feveral of the free and loyal Corporations of that City.

IN TWO VOLUME S.

VOL. II,

LONDON:

Printed in the YEAR. M.DCC U

ADDRESS XVII.

H

AVING pursuant to my Promife to You, MY BELOVED BRETRHEN and FRIENDS, published the Great Charter of the LIBERTIES of our City, and layed that, as the Foundation to the intended Superftructure, I fhall now procede to the next Part of my Engagement, which is to explane the Conftitution of this City, and to point out the Breaches made therein, and by whom.

IN my nineth, fiveteenth, and other Addresses, I have endeavored to define a Body Politic. Whatever is fayed of the greatest, holds equally good of the fmalleft Body Politic. And, many Advantages and Benefits acrue in ours, which are not to be found in the great Body Corporate.

AS CIVIL SOCIETY, or the great Body Politic, with all it's Magiftrates and Officers, from the higheft to the lowest, was inftituted and framed for the general Good of the People, not regarding any Particulars; fo, the Inftitution of this Body Corporate, was folely intended for the Citizens, with due Subordination to the great Community, of which it is but as a Member; and no Individual, whether Magiftrate, Officer or Member of the Corporation, has, or can have, any Power, Privilege or Authority, but what he derives, mediately or immediately, from the Body of the Citizens, to whom, and in whom, all that the Crown by it's Prerogative, or the Legislature by it's Authority, could grant, were granted and vefted, for the fole Emolument of the CITIZENS and their Succeffors for EVER.

As every good Hufband-Man fhould, to the greatest Certainty, know the Extent and Limits of his Eftate; fo, it is incumbent on every Citizen, to know the Extent and Limits of the Franchises, in which he has a Free-hold, an Estate, of no less Value to him, than a large Tract of Land, to a Countryman. We can not therefore, be too exact, too minute, in taking a Survey of our Free-hold, with it's appendant Privileges.

WHOEVER takes a View of our Charter, must see, with what an extensive Estate, this City was endowed, and with what extraordinary Liberties and Privileges, the Citizens were honored and diftinguished from the rest of the Subjects.

ALL the Lands, within the ascertained Liberties of the City, that were not granted to Churches, Convents or Colleges, were vefted in the City, from the original English Foundation; and upon the Diffolution of Monafteries, at the Reformation, many of their Eftates, as well, in the Country, as City, particularly thofe

M m

of

of All-Hallows, and fome Parts of thofe of St. Thomas and St. Mary, were granted to the City by Henry VIII. and other fucceding Kings. By this Means, an Eftate in feveral Counties of the Kingdom, and a Right of Presentation to fundry ecclefiaftical Benefices became vefted in the Corporation of the City.

HAVING large Poffeffions thus fecured to the City, the next Provifion to be made was for the Franchifes or Liberties of the Citizens, without which, the greatest Estate could be of no real Value.

By the firft Grants of Henry II. and John, the Citizens were created a Body Corporate and Politic, with the ufual expreffed, as well, as the implied Powers and Privileges, incident to the Creation of a Body Politic, which We shall hereafter endeavor to explane. By the Charter of John, included in the Great Charter, beginning at Paragraph the 8th, the Franchifes are specially granted and fet forth. And, it is obfervable, `that every Grant is exprefsly made to OUR CITIZENS of our CITY of DUBLIN, and to their Heirs and Successors FOR EVER.

By this Charter, the City is made a free and independent MANOR, with Jurifdiction within it felf, beyond whofe Limits, no Citizen is anfwerable: The Citizens are exempted from that shameful Barbarifm of trying and determining Matters of Right, Caufe's criminal, &c. by Combat; from that deteftable Vafalage of Hofting, or Coyne and Liverie; or obliging them to lodge or entertain Servants or Soldiers of their Lords or of the King, without their free Confent: And freed from the Payment of all arbitrary Tolls, Taxes, and other Cuftoms throughout the King's Dominions: That Juftice may be always at Hand, it is provided, that the Hundred or City Court should be held once every Week: That due Regard may be payed to the Infranchifed, that no Foreigner fhould buy the Staple Commodities of the Kingdom from any other, than a Citizen; nor have Licence to fell Wine or keep a Tavern except on board a Ship: That no Foreigner fhall intrude or incroach upon the Citizens proper Privilege of felling Goods, as Cloth, for Example, by Retale, and that no foreign Merchant shall even stay longer in the City, than is neceffary for the Difpofal of his Wares by Wholefale, which is fourty Days: That no Citizen be deprived of his Liberty or otherwife difturbed throughout the King's Dominions, upon any idle Demands or frivolous Pretences of the Crown or the Subject, unless where pofitive Proof of a Debt is made: That the Clame layed by the Crown and great Lords to the Ward of their Tenants, by which, they affumed the Cuftody and Difpofal of the Perfons and Eftates of the Subject, fhould be abolished in the City: That Guilds may be inftituted upon the fame Foundation, as in Briftol, in the City: And that no Citizen may be compelled to bail his Tenant, or any other Perfon, against his Will That all the Lands and Tenements, and all the wafte Places within the City Liberties may be difpofed of, or built upon, at the Pleasure of the Citizens: That the refident Citizens be exempt

from

from ferving on Juries, or in other civil Offices in any other County in the Kingdom, in which they may have Eftates; and that extern, or non-franchifed Men, who may have Estates in the City, may not be impaneled with the Citizens on Juries, to try any Matter within the City; unless in Matters concerning the Crown, or the Community of the City: And, that the Citizens in all civil and criminal Matters, with which they may be chargeable, fhall not be committed, or confined by Foreigners, but by their Fe lowCitizens onely: And that they, and all thofe, who come into the City, fhall be exempt from all arbitrary Impofitions, and Seifures of the Crown, or it's Minifters: That the Citizens and their Magiftrate, may have, make and exercise the Affize of Bread and Beer, inftitute a Staple, or Market, and erect and maintain a Standard for Weights and Measures, for the Regulation of the Market, with all Profits and Advantages thence arifing, fubject onely to the InSpection of the King's Juftices and Minifters; and their Correction of Exceffes, Defects, &c. That the Citizens be for ever exempt from all Customs, Tolls, or Duties impofed upon, or payable by, others for the Expences of walling, paving, making, or reparing Bridges, from Paffes for exporting or fhiping Goods or Men, and for ballafting or loading or unloading a Ship at Quays, Wharfs or Cranes: That the Citizens may choose among them felves a Mayor every Year, who is to be fworn into Office before the Commonalty, by the preceding Mayor; unless the chief Governor or one of the Barons of the Exchequer happen to be then in the City, before whom the Oath is then to be administered: That no Officers or Minifiers of the Crown may interfere with the Magiftrates or Officers of the City, in the Execution of their Offices; unless in Cafe of Failure of the City Officers: That no Citizen be deprived of his Liberty or confined, by any Magistrate or Officer of the Crown, for any bailable Offence, while he is able to procure fponfable Bail: That, if any Citizen be attached without the City, he is to be tried in the City Court: That no foreign or unfranchifed Merchant shall intrude or incroach upon the Rights and Privileges of the Citizens; but, when they come to buy or fell Wares or Merchandifes upon the Terms before prescribed, they shall be obliged to contribute to all the Aids and Taxes or Tolls and Customs neceffary for the Support of the City, in Proportion to the Quantity of Goods bought or fold: And, that the Citizens may export old Cloth, Wool, Hides and all other Commodities, which are the Product of Ireland, Corn, at Times prohibited, onely excepted, to England, Gafcony and wherefoever elfe they will, for Ever, according to their natural Right; all Statutes or Ordinances to the contrary, notwithstanding. It is likewife, granted to the Citizens, that their Mayor and Bailifs be the fole Juftices of Peace, and fuftices of Laborers, Artificers and Victuallers, within the City and it's Liberties: That the Mayor be Efcheator, and Clerk of the Market, with the fulleft Powers and Privileges, the Law could admit; and with a pofitive Prohibition to all Minifters of the Crown, that they should

M m 2

not