John Fountaine, a lawyer at Lincoln's Inn, will be named a delinquent and remanded to the Tower for refusing to honor Parliament’s request for monies for the prosecution of the war, Anglia Rediviva has learned.

“It’s my opinion such ‘voluntary loans’ – which are nothing less than forced confiscation of the private property of the individual -- are a clear and egregious violation of the Petition of Right,” Fountaine said. "The lamentable state of the Kingdom is the result of the King's constant contempt for that charter of English liberties, and I am appalled that Parliament, which claims itself the defender of same, is like Charles hypocritically seeking to render it null and void.”

Since June Parliament, praising the “willingness” of Englishmen “to contribute to the support of that great Charge the Kingdom is now necessitated to, for the Preservation of the true Protestant Religion, and the lawful Liberties of the subject” has requested “loans” of plate, horses, and money for the war effort, to be repaid at eight percent interest. The City of London’s companies, including the Merchant Adventurers, the Merchant Strangers, the Grocers, and others, have been the largest contributors, most recently advancing some £50,000 toward the maintenance of Essex’s army, after the General complained his troops were rioting over lack of pay. However,  Parliament has made clear that it is in the best interest of all Englishmen to dig deep and give generously.

Members of Parliament scoffed at Fountaine’s appeal to the Petition of Right, the 1628 declaration which stated taxation without consent of Parliament was a violation of English liberties. King Charles of course assented to the Petition, and promptly ignored it for the next eleven years.

“The Petition is made to restrain Kings, not Parliaments,” said Henry Marten, MP for Berkshire and a member of the Committee of Safety. “Fountaine should cease his prattle and do his duty for the liberties of the Kingdom. His accusations are nothing short of calumny and contempt which in time of war are unforgivable.”

Fountain replied that Marten “may be qualified to opine on matters of drink and women; I am less sure of his expertise in Law, much less morals and duties.” Fountaine referred to an infamous incident when Marten, soused at a race-meeting, was ordered to leave by King Charles, who found his behavior scandalous.

The case of Fountaine comes as King and Parliament each seek to bolster their war-chests. Parliament, in London, has far superior access to capital, although it risks annoying those merchants and men of commerce to whom it's come, hat in hand, again and again. Charles, for his part, is raising money through the selling peerages, including one to Shropshire knight Sir Richard Newport for £6000, and inviting the Catholics of the realm to support him “with their purses as well as their swords.” Rupert, the commander of his horse, has advised extorting funds from the manufacturing centers of Yorkshire and the Midlands, which boast high proportions of Puritans and Parliament supporters.