The Old English Constitution Vindicated and Set in a True Light : Offer'd to the Consideration of the Bishop of Bangor, With an Appendix Containing Some Reflections Upon His Lordship's Candor, Sincerity, Erudition, and Strong Reasoning in His.

The Old English Constitution Vindicated And Set In A True Light. By Matthias Earbery. This 1616 polemical tract defends the English constitutional order and the authority of monarchy against claims of legislative supremacy. Earbery argues that government is rooted in divine right and parental authority rather than a social contract and a state of nature. Drawing on historical precedent, royal prerogatives, and biblical authority (notably Romans 13), the work contends that the King possesses the supreme power necessary to govern, wage war, pardon, and appoint officers, while Parliament’s powers are subordinate to the crown. The text traces the origins of Parliament and the House of Lords, interrogates the legitimacy of usurpations, and asserts the inherent superiority of the sovereign over mixed or elective models. An extensive Preface and an Appendix address reflections on church authority, clerical power, and the controversial Bangor bishop’s candor and rationality, underscoring a polemic defense of traditional English government and ecclesiastical order.