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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>His Maje&s;tie's
GRACIOUS
SPEECH,
Together with the Lord
CHANCELLOR'S,
To both Hou&s;es of PARLIAMENT; on
Saturday the 29^t^h day of <HI>December,</HI> 1660.
Being the day of their <HI>Di&s;&s;olution.</HI>
As al&s;o, that of the
SPEAKER
of the Honorable Hou&s;e of COMMONS,
at the &s;ame time.</P>
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>blazon or coat of arms of the British royal family</FIGDESC>
<P>C R</P>
<P>HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE</P>
<P>DIEV ET MON DROIT</P>
</FIGURE></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed by JOHN BILL, Printer to the
Kings mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty, 1660.</P>
<P>CUM PRIVILEGIO.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>HIS MAJESTIE'S
Gracious Speech
To both Hou&s;es of
PARLIAMENT,
On Saturday <DATE>the 29 day of December 1660.</DATE>
Upon the Di&s;&s;olution of the PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Lords and Gentlemen,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_I Will not entertain
you with a long di&s;|cour&s;e;
the &s;um of
all I have to &s;ay to
you, being but to
give you Thanks,
very hearty Thanks;
and I a&s;&s;ure you I
finde it a very dif|ficult
work to &s;atisfie My Self in My Own ex|pre&s;sions
of tho&s;e Thanks; Perfunctory thanks,
Ordinary thanks for Ordinary civilities are ea&s;ily
given; but when the Heart is as full as Mine
is, it is a labor to thank you: Bou have taken
great pains to obliege Me, and therefore it can|not
be ea&s;ie for me to expre&s;s the &s;ence I have of it.</P>
<P>I will enlarge no further to you upon this oc|ca&s;ion,
then to tell you, That when God brought
Me hither, I brought with me an Extraordinary
<PB N="4" REF="3">
Affection and E&s;teem for Parliaments&punc; I need
not tell you how much it is improved by your car|riage
towards me. You have out-done all the
good and oblieging Acts of your Predece&s;&s;ors to|wards
the Crown; and therefore you cannot but
believe My Heart is exceedingly enlarged with
the acknowledgment.</P>
<P>Many former Parliaments have had particu|lar
denominations from what they have done;
They have been &s;tiled, <HI>Learned</HI> and <HI>Unlearned,</HI>
and &s;ometimes have had wor&s;e Epithites; I pray
let us all Re&s;olve that this be for ever called,
<HI>The Healing and the Ble&s;&s;ed Parlia|ment.</HI></P>
<P>As I thank you, though not enough, for what
you have done, &s;o I have not the least doubt,
by the ble&s;sing of God, but when I &s;hall call the
next Parliament, which I &s;hall do as &s;oon as
rea&s;onably you can expect or de&s;ire, I &s;hall re|ceive
your Thanks for what I have done &s;ince I
parted with you: For I deal truly with you, I
&s;hall not more propo&s;e any one Rule to My Self
in My Actions, and My Councels, then this,
<HI>What is a Parliament like to think of this Acti|on,
or this Councel&punc;</HI> And it &s;hall be want of &V;n|der&s;tanding
in Me, if it will not bear that
Te&s;t.</P>
<P>I &s;hall conclude with this, which I cannot
&s;ay too often, nor you too often, where you go,
Tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> to the miraculous ble&s;sing of God
<PB N="5" REF="3">
Almighty; and indeed, as an immediate effect of
that Ble&s;sing, I do impute the good Di&s;po&s;ition
and Security we are all in, to the happy Act of
Indempnity and Oblivion; that is the principal
Corner-&s;tone which &s;upports this excellent Build|ing,
that creates Kindne&s;s in &V;s to each other;
and Confidence is Our Joynt and Common Securi|ty.
You may be &s;ure, I will not onely ob&s;erve
it Religiou&s;ly, and inviolably My Self, but al&s;o
exact the ob&s;ervation of it from others: And if
any per&s;on &s;hould ever have the boldne&s;s to at|tempt
to per&s;wade Me to the contrary, he will
finde &s;uch an Acceptation from Me, as he would
have, who &s;hould per&s;wade Me to burn <HI>Magna
Charta,</HI> cancel all the old Laws, and to erect
a new Government after My Own invention
and appetite.</P>
<P>There are many other particulars which I
will not tru&s;t My Own Memory with, but will
require the Chancellor to &s;ay the rest to you.</P>
<TRAILER>(After His Maje&s;ty had done, the Lord
Chancellor &s;aid as followeth)</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Lords, and you the Knights, Citizens, and
Burge&s;&s;es of the Hou&s;e of Commons;</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THere cannot be a greater manife&s;tation
of an excellent Temper and Harmony
of Affections throughout the Nation, then
that the King and his two Hou&s;es of Parlia|ment
meet with the &s;ame Affections and
Cheerfulne&s;s, the &s;ame Alacrity in their
Countenance at the Di&s;&s;olution, as when they
met at the Convention of Parliament: It is
an unque&s;tionable evidence, that they are ex|ceedingly
&s;atisfied in what they have done to|wards
each other, that they have very well
done all the bu&s;ine&s;s they came about: This
is now your ca&s;e, you have &s;o well &s;atisfied
your own Con&s;ciences, that you are &s;ure you
have &s;atisfied the King's expectation and His
Hope, and the de&s;ires and wi&s;hes of the
Country. It was very ju&s;tly ob&s;erved by you
Mr. <HI>Speaker,</HI> that you have never asked any
one thing of the King, which he hath not
with all imaginable cheerfulne&s;s granted; and
in truth His Maje&s;ty doth with great comfort
acknowledge, that you have been &s;o far from
denying Him any thing He hath asked, that
He hath &s;carce wi&s;hed any thing that you
have not granted; And it is no wonder, that
having &s;o fully complyed with your obligati|ons,
and having &s;o well compo&s;ed the minds
<PB N="7" REF="4">
of the Nation, you are now willing to be re|lieved
from this extraordinary Fatigue you
have &s;ubmitted &s;o long to, and to return to
the con&s;ideration of your own particular Af|fairs,
which you have &s;o long &s;acrificed to the
Publique&punc; and this rea&s;onable wi&s;h and de|&s;ire
hath brought the King to comply with
you, and, which nothing el&s;e could do, to part
with you with an equal cheerfulne&s;s; and he
makes no doubt, but all &s;ucceeding Parlia|ments
will pay you their Thanks for all you
have done, and look upon your Actions and
your example with all po&s;sible Approbation
and Reverence.</P>
<P>The King and you have given &s;uch earne&s;t
to each other of your mutual Affection, you
have been &s;o exact and punctual in your pro|ceedings
towards each other, that you have
made no promi&s;e, no profe&s;sion to each other,
of the making good and performing of which
the world is not witne&s;s: You declared at the
Adjournment in <HI>September</HI> la&s;t, your Re&s;olu|tion
to &s;ettle a noble Revenew on the Crown&punc;
you have done it with all the Circum&s;tances of
Affection and Prudence. The King promi|&s;ed
you to e&s;tabli&s;h a Council for Trade, a
Council for the Forreign Plantations, a Com|mi&s;sion
for compo&s;ing all difference upon
Sales; all this he did before your coming to|gether,
and with very good effect; and you
<PB N="8" REF="5">
&s;hall hear that the Proceedings in every one of
them are more vigorous and effectual after
your Di&s;&s;olution; His Maje&s;ty then promi&s;ed
you, that he would give up all his endeavors
to compo&s;e the unhappy differences in matters
of Religion, and to re&s;tore the langui&s;hing
Church to peace, Unity and Order: <HI>Con&s;tan|tine</HI>
him&s;elf hardly &s;pent &s;o much of his own
time in private and publique Conferences to
that purpo&s;e; His Maje&s;ty in private confer|red
with the Learned Men, and heard all that
could be &s;aid upon &s;everal Opinions and In|tere&s;ts
apart, and then in the pre&s;ence of both
Parties, him&s;elf moderating in the debates,
(and le&s;s care and diligence and authority
would not have done the work) and God hath
&s;o ble&s;&s;ed His Labor, and made His Determi|nations
in that Affair &s;o generally agreeable,
that he hath received thanks from His Hou&s;es
of Parliament, that is, from the whole King|dom:
If after all this, His Maje&s;ty doth not
reap the full Harve&s;t he expected from tho&s;e
Conde&s;centions; If &s;ome men, by their
writing, and by their preachings endeavor to
continue tho&s;e Breaches, and very ra&s;hly and I
think uncon&s;cientiou&s;ly keep up the di&s;tincti|ons,
and publickly ju&s;tifie and maintain
what hath heretofore been done ami&s;s, and
for which the Act of Indempnity was the be&s;t
defence; I &s;hall &s;ay no more, then that I hope
<PB N="9" REF="5">
their&punc; want of Mode&s;ty and Obedience will
cau&s;e them to be di&s;claimed by all pious and
peaceable men, who cannot but be well con|tented
to &s;ee them reduced by Law, to the obe|dience
they owe to Law: And His Maje&s;ty
is confident, that this His beloved City, to|wards
which His heart is &s;o gracious, and &s;o
full of Princely De&s;igns to improve their Ho|nor,
their Wealth, and their Beauty, will
di&s;countenance all tho&s;e &s;editious de&s;igns, and
by returning and fixing them&s;elves upon their
good old Foundations, make them&s;elves
the great example of Piety, of Loyalty,
and of hearty Affection to the whole King|dom.</P>
<P>This di&s;cour&s;e puts me in mind to &s;ay to
you, that though the King wonders much
more at the many great things you have done,
then that you have left any thing undone, yet
he could have wi&s;hed, and would have been
glad that your other weighty Affairs had gi|ven
you time to have publi&s;hed your opinion
and advice in the bu&s;ine&s;s of the Militia, that
the People after &s;o many di&s;putes upon that
Argument, might have di&s;cerned that the
King, and His two Hou&s;es of Parliament are
as much of the &s;ame mind in that, as in all o|ther
things, as no doubt they are: But &s;ince
that could not be done, you may all a&s;&s;ure
your &s;elves, That the King will proceed there|in
<PB N="10" REF="6">
in with all imaginable care and circum&s;pecti|on,
for the ea&s;e, and quiet, and &s;ecurity of His
People: And as He did before the la&s;t Rece&s;s
by the unanimous advice of His Privy Coun|cil,
i&s;&s;ue out His Commi&s;sions of Lieute|nancy
for the &s;etling the Militia in the &s;everal
Counties, to prevent any di&s;orders which
many apprehended might ari&s;e upon the di&s;|banding
the Army; &s;o He will now again
recommend it to them to keep them&s;elves in
&s;uch a Po&s;ture, as may di&s;appoint any &s;edi|tious
de&s;igns which are now on foot; and
there cannot be too much circum&s;pection and
vigilance to fru&s;trate tho&s;e de&s;igns. You
have heard of many &s;u&s;pected and danger|ous
per&s;ons which have been lately clapped
up; and it was high time to look about: His
Maje&s;ty hath &s;pent many hours Him&s;elf in
the examination of this bu&s;ine&s;s; and &s;ome of
the Principal Officers, who before they came
to His Maje&s;tie's Pre&s;ence, could not be
brought to acknowledge any thing, after the
King Him&s;elf had &s;poken to them, confe&s;&s;ed,
That their &s;pirits were in&s;en&s;ibly prevailed up|on,
and &s;ubdued, and that it was not in their
power to conceal their guilt from Him.
They have confe&s;&s;ed, That there is a party
of the late Disbanded-Officers and Soldiers,
and others, full of di&s;content and &s;editious
purpo&s;es, and a re&s;olution to attempt the
<PB N="11" REF="6">
change of the pre&s;ent Government, and to
erect the Republick; they acknowledge that
they did purpo&s;e to have made their attempt
for the re&s;cue of tho&s;e Wretches, who were
&s;o ju&s;tly condemned at <HI>Newgate,</HI> and &s;o
worthily executed; and that <HI>Ludlow</HI> &s;hould
then have appeared in the head of them;
that they made them&s;elves &s;ure at the &s;ame
time, by Parties and Confederacy to have
&s;urprized the Tower of <HI>London,</HI> and the
Ca&s;tle of <HI>Wind&s;or,</HI> but that they found, or
at lea&s;t apprehended, that their de&s;ign was
di&s;covered; which &s;o broke their &s;pirits, that
they concluded they mu&s;t acquie&s;ce for the
pre&s;ent, and &s;tay till the Army &s;hould be
disbanded, which they &s;aid was generally de|bauched,
that is, Returned to an hone&s;t and
fa&s;t obedience to the King; and that it was
evident they were betrayed by tho&s;e who
were mo&s;t entirely tru&s;ted by them; and
they were in the right: The King had no|tice
of all their de&s;ign, what progre&s;s it made,
and the night they intended to &s;urprize the
Tower and <HI>Wind&s;or,</HI> and gave notice to the
&s;everal Governors; and &s;o without any noi&s;e,
that mi&s;chief was by God's goodne&s;s pre|vented:
They acknowledge that they have
&s;ince recovered their Courage and Re&s;oluti|on,
and were about this time to make their
full attempt; they have been promi&s;ed &s;ome
<PB N="12" REF="7">
con&s;iderable Ri&s;ing in the We&s;t under <HI>Lud|low,</HI>
and in the North under others; but
this place was the Scene of greate&s;t hope;
they made &s;ure of a Body here, I think they
&s;ay of Two thou&s;and five hundred men, with
which they re&s;olved in the fir&s;t place, to &s;e|cure
(you know what that &s;ecurity is) the
Per&s;on of the General, the Duke of <HI>Albe|marle,</HI>
with whom they have &s;o much rea&s;on
to be angry, and at the &s;ame time to po&s;&s;e&s;s
them&s;elves of <HI>Whitehal;</HI> You know the
method u&s;ed in &s;uch po&s;&s;e&s;sing, <HI>Kill, and take
Po&s;&s;e&s;sion;</HI> and this in&s;upportable Calamity
God hath again deverted from Us; though
I mu&s;t tell you, the poor men who &s;eem to
&s;peak hone&s;tly, and upon the impul&s;ion of
Con&s;cience, are very far from being confident,
that there will not be &s;ome de&s;perate In&s;ur|rections
and Attempts in &s;everal parts of the
Kingdom within a &s;hort time, which all
po&s;sible care will be taken to prevent; and
in truth this very good City &s;o well requites
the Kings abundant Grace and Kindne&s;s to it,
That not onely by the unwearied Pains and
Diligence of the worthy Lord Major, but
by the general temper and con&s;titution of the
whole City, the di&s;contented and &s;editious
Party (which can never be totally extirpated
out of &s;uch a <HI>Metropolis</HI>) is like to receive lit|tle
encouragement to pur&s;ue their de&s;perate
Coun&s;els.</P>
<P><PB N="13" REF="7">
The King doth not believe that all tho&s;e
per&s;ons who at pre&s;ent are apprehended,
and in cu&s;tody, will be found guilty of this
Trea&s;on; It is a vulgar and known Artifice,
to corrupt inferior per&s;ons, by per&s;wading
them, That better men are ingaged in the
&s;ame enterpri&s;e; and the King will make
as much ha&s;te as He can to &s;et tho&s;e at Liber|ty,
again&s;t whom the evidence or &s;u&s;picion
is not too rea&s;onable; in the mean time,
they who are in truth innocent, mu&s;t con|fe&s;s
that the proceeding towards them, hath
been very natural and full of Clemency; and
no man will wonder, if His Maje&s;ty be ve|ry
de&s;irous that in this conjuncture, and in
order to prevent, or &s;uppre&s;s the&s;e too vi|&s;ible
di&s;tempers and Machinations, His Mi|litia
in all places be in good order and pre|paration:
And you may a&s;&s;ure your &s;elves,
That in the forming and conduct of it, He
will have &s;o great a care of the ea&s;e and
quiet of His People, that if any per&s;on
tru&s;ted by him, &s;hall through want of skill,
or want of temper, &s;atisfie his own pa&s;sion
or appetite, in grieving or vexing his neigh|bours,
His Maje&s;ty will be &s;o &s;en&s;ible of it,
that if it can be cured no other way, His
Tru&s;t &s;hall be quickly determined, and He
is not at all re&s;erved in giving tho&s;e Anim|adver&s;ions
<PB N="14" REF="8">
and Reprehen&s;ions when there is
occa&s;ion; and His ears will be always open
to receive tho&s;e complaints.</P>
<P><HI>My Lords and Gentlemen,</HI> You are now
returning to your Countreys to receive the
thanks and acknowledgements of your
Friends and Neighbours, for the great
things you have done, and to make the
burthens you have laid upon them, ea&s;ie, by
convincing them of the inevitable nece&s;sity
of their &s;ubmitting to them; You will make
them &s;ee that you have proceeded very far
towards the &s;eparation, and even divorce of
that Nece&s;sity from them, to which they
have been &s;o long married, that they are
now re&s;tored to that ble&s;&s;ed temper of Go|vernment,
under which their Ance&s;tors en|joyed
&s;o many hundred years, that full
mea&s;ure of felicity, and the mi&s;ery of be|ing
deprived of which they have &s;o &s;en&s;i|bly
felt, that they are now free from tho&s;e
midnight Alarms, with which they have
been terrified, and ri&s;e out of their beds at
their own healthy hours, without being &s;a|luted
with the death of a Husband, a Son,
and Friend, mi&s;erably killed the night or the
day before, and with &s;uch circum&s;tances
kill'd, as improved the mi&s;ery beyond the
lo&s;s it &s;elf; this enfranchi&s;ement is worth all
<PB N="15" REF="8">
they pay for it: Your Lord&s;hips will ea&s;i|ly
recover that e&s;timation and reverence
that is due to your high Condition, by the
exerci&s;e and practice of that vertue, from
whence your Honors fir&s;t &s;prang; the ex|ample
of your Ju&s;tice and Piety will enflame
the hearts of the People towards you; and
from your practice, they will make a judg|ment
of the King him&s;elf: They know ve|ry
well, that you are not only admitted to
his Pre&s;ence, but to his Conver&s;ation, and
even in a degree to his Friend&s;hip, for you
are his great Councill; by your Example
they will form their own Manners, and by
yours they will make &s;ome gue&s;s at the
King's: Therefore under that obligation,
you will cau&s;e your Piety, your Ju&s;tice,
your Affability, and your Charity to
&s;hine as bright as is po&s;sible before them.
They are too much in love with <HI>England,</HI>
too partial to it, who believe it the be&s;t
Countrey in the world; there is better
earth, and a better aire, and a better, that
is, a warmer Sun in other Countries; but
we are no more then ju&s;t, when we &s;ay that
<HI>England</HI> is an endo&s;ure of the be&s;t People in
the world, when they are well Informed
and In&s;tructed; a People in &s;obriety of Con|&s;cience
the mo&s;t devoted to God Almighty;
<PB N="14" REF="9">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="15" REF="9">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="16" REF="10">
in the integrity of their affections, the mo&s;t
dutiful to the King; In their good Manners
and Inclinations, mo&s;t regardful and lo|ving
to the Nobility; no Nobility in <HI>Europe</HI>
&s;o entirely loved by the People; there may
be more awe, and fear, and terror of them,
but no &s;uch love towards them as in <HI>England.</HI>
I be&s;eech your Lord&s;hips, do not undervalue
this love; they have looked upon your
Lord&s;hips, and they will look upon your
Lord&s;hips again, as the greate&s;t examples
and patterns of Duty to the King, as their
greate&s;t Security and Protection from inju|ry
and inju&s;tice, and for their enjoying what|&s;oever
is due to them by the Law, and as
the mo&s;t proper Mediators and Interpo&s;ers
to the King, if by any failer of Ju&s;tice they
&s;hould be expo&s;ed to any oppre&s;sion and
violence: And this exerci&s;e of your Ju&s;tice
and Kindne&s;s towards them, will make
them the more abhor and abominate that
parity upon which a Commonwealth mu&s;t
be founded, becau&s;e it would extirpate, or
&s;uppre&s;s, or deprive them of their beloved
Nobility, which are &s;uch a &s;upport and &s;e|curity
to their full happine&s;s.</P>
<P>And you Gentlemen of the Hou&s;e of
Commons, you are now returning to your
Countrey, laden with a Tru&s;t not inferior,
<PB N="17" REF="10">
weighty, than that you brought from thence,
you came up their Deputies to the King, and
he returns you now his Deputies to them, his
Plenipotentiaries, to inform &amp; a&s;&s;ure them, that
he thinks him&s;elf the happie&s;t, and the great|e&s;t
Prince of the World, not from the Scitua|tion
of His Dominions and the Power of his
great Navy, with which he can vi&s;it his
Neighbors, and keep them from vi&s;iting him,
or from the noble Revenue you have &s;etled
upon him, which he will improve with all
good Husbandry, but from being po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of
the Affections and Hearts of &s;uch Subjects;
that he doth &s;o intirely love them, and de|pend
upon them, that all his Actions and all
his Councels, &s;hall tend to no other end, but
to make them happy and pro&s;perous: that
he thinks his Honour and his Intere&s;t Prin|cipally
to con&s;i&s;t in providing for, and ad|vancing
the Honor and Intere&s;t of the Nation:
That you may have the more credit in what
you &s;ay, He will not take it unkindly, if you
publi&s;h his defects and Infirmities: You may
tell them, that He is &s;o confident in the mul|titude
of His very good and faithful Subjects,
that he is very hard to be per&s;waded that His
few ill and unfaithful Subjects can do Him
much harm; that He &s;o much depends upon
the affection of hone&s;t men, and their Zeal
for His &s;ecurity, that He is not &s;o &s;ollicitous
and vigilant for His own &s;afety as he ought to
<PB N="18" REF="11">
be, amid&s;t &s;o many Combinations, of which
he is &s;o well informed, that His Servants,
who with grief and angui&s;h importune Him
not to take &s;o little care of his own &s;afety, can
obtain no other an&s;wer from Him, then what
<HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> heretofore gave to his jealous Friends,
<HI>Mori &s;e malle quam timeri,</HI> or <HI>timere;</HI> He will
die any death, rather then live in fear of His
own Subjects, or that they &s;hould live in fear
of him; You may tell them as a great Infir|mity,
that a troubled and di&s;contented Coun|tenance
&s;o afflicts him, that he would re|move
it from them at his own charge, as if
he him&s;elf were in the fault; and when he
hath been informed of any le&s;s kinde, or jea|lous
thing &s;aid among&s;t you, as your windores
are never &s;o clo&s;e &s;hut, but that the &s;ound of
your words goes to the &s;everal corners of the
Town, His Maje&s;ty hath been heard to &s;ay
no more, but, <HI>What have I done? I wi&s;h that
Gentleman and I were acquainted, that he knew
me better.</HI> Oh, Gentlemen, you cannot be
your &s;elves, nor you cannot make your
Friends too zealous, or too jealous for &s;uch a
Prince's &s;afety, or too &s;ollicitous for &s;uch a
Prince's &s;atisfaction and content, to whom we
may very ju&s;tly &s;ay, as the King of <HI>Tyre</HI> writ
to <HI>Solomon, Becau&s;e God hath loved his people,
he hath made thee King over them:</HI> Even His
defects and infirmities are very nece&s;&s;ary to|wards
<PB N="19" REF="11">
the full mea&s;ure of our pro&s;perity.</P>
<P><HI>My Lords and Gentlemen,</HI> God hath ena|bled
us to invert one Argument, which, I
hope, may to a good degree repair the much
mi&s;chief it hath heretofore done: It hath
been urged very unrea&s;onably, yet &s;ucce&s;sful|ly
urged in the wor&s;t times, That it was not
Faith, but Pre&s;umption, to expect that God
would re&s;tore a Family, with which he &s;eemed
to have a controver&s;ie, &amp; had humbled &s;o far;
That he would ever countenance a Party, that
he had &s;o much di&s;countenanced, and almo&s;t
de&s;troyed. We may now much more rea&s;on|ably,
and therefore I hope as effectually, pre&s;s
the Miracles that God Almighty hath lately
wrought for King and People, as an evidence
that he will not again ea&s;ily for&s;ake them:
We may tell tho&s;e, who are u&s;ing all their
endeavours to imbroil the Nation in new
troubles, That it is not probable, that a Na|tion,
again&s;t which God &s;eemed the&s;e late
years to have pronounced his Iudgment, in
the very language of the Prophet;</P>
<P>Go ye &s;wift me&s;&s;engers to a Nation &s;cattered
and peeled, to a people terrible from the be|ginning
hitherto, a Nation rooted out
and trodden down, who&s;e Land the Rivers
have &s;poiled:&mdash;The Lord hath mingeld
a perver&s;e &s;pirit in the midde&s;t there|of.</P>
<P><PB N="20" REF="12">
That he &s;hould reduce that perver&s;ne&s;s to the
greate&s;t meekne&s;s and re&s;ignation, that he
&s;hould withdraw his Judgement from this
Nation, and in a moment re&s;tore it to all the
happine&s;s it can wi&s;h, and to no other end, but
to expo&s;e it to the mercy and fury of a few
di&s;contented per&s;ons, the wor&s;t of the Nati|on,
is not ea&s;ie to be believed.</P>
<P>We may tell tho&s;e who &s;till contrive the
ruine of the Church, the be&s;t, and the be&s;t
Reformed Church in the Chri&s;tian World;
Reformed by that Authority, and with
tho&s;e Circum&s;tances as a Reformation ought
to be made, that God would not &s;o mira|culou&s;ly
have &s;natched this Church as a
brand out of the fire; would not have
rai&s;ed it from the grave, after he had &s;uf|fered
it to be buried &s;o many years, by the
boy&s;trous hands of Prophane and Sacrilegi|ous
per&s;ons, under its own rubbidge, to ex|po&s;e
it again to the &s;ame Rapine, Reproach
and Impiety: That Church which delights
it &s;elf in being called Catholick, was never
&s;o near expiration, never had &s;uch a Re|&s;urrection,
that &s;o &s;mall a pittance of Meal
and Oyl, &s;hould be &s;ufficient to pre&s;erve
and nouri&s;h the poor Widow and her Family
&s;o long, is very little more miraculous then
<PB N="21" REF="12">
that &s;uch a number of pious, learned, and very
aged Bi&s;hops, &s;hould &s;o many years be pre|&s;erved,
in &s;uch wonderful &s;traights and oppre&s;|&s;ions,
untill they &s;hould plentifully provide for
their own Succe&s;&s;ion: That after &s;uch a deep
Deluge of Sacriledge, Profane&s;s and Impiety
had covered, and to common under&s;tanding
&s;wallowed it up; that that Church &s;hould again
appear above the waters, God be again &s;erved
in that Church, and &s;erved as he ought to be,
and that there &s;hould be &s;till &s;ome Revenue left
to &s;upport and encourage tho&s;e who &s;erve him;
nay, that many of tho&s;e who &s;eemed to thir&s;t
after that Revenue till they had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed it,
&s;hould con&s;cientiou&s;ly re&s;tore what they had ta|ken
away, and become good &s;ons, and willing
Tenants to that Church they had &s;o lately
&s;poyled, may make us all piou&s;ly believe, that
God Almighty would not have been at the ex|pence
and charge of &s;uch a miracle, &s;o manife&s;t|ed
him&s;elf to us in &s;uch a deliverance, but in
the behalf of a Church very acceptable to him,
and which &s;hall continue to the end of the
World, and again&s;t which the Gates of Hell
&s;hall not be able to prevail.</P>
<P>We may tell tho&s;e de&s;perate wretches, who
yet harbour in their thoughts wicked de&s;igns
again&s;t the Sacred Per&s;on of the King, in order
to the compa&s;&s;ing their own imaginations; that
God Almighty would not have led Him
<PB N="22" REF="13">
through &s;o many Wilderne&s;&s;es of Afflictions
of all kinds, conducted Him through &s;o many
perils by Sea, and perils by Land; &s;natch'd
Him out of the mid&s;t of this Kingdom, when
it was not worthy of Him; and when the
hands of His Enemies were even upon Him,
when they thought them&s;elves &s;o &s;ure of Him,
that they would bid &s;o cheap, and &s;o vile a price
for Him; He would not in that Article have
&s;o covered Him with a Cloud, that He tra|vailed
even with &s;ome plea&s;ure, and great ob|&s;ervation
through the mid&s;t of His Enemies;
He would not &s;o wonderfully have new mo|delled
that Army, &s;o in&s;pired their hearts, and
the hearts of the whole Nation, with an hone&s;t
and impatient longing for the return of their
dear Soveraign, and in the mean time have &s;o
exerci&s;ed Him (which had little le&s;s of Pro|vidence
in it than the other) with tho&s;e unna|tural,
or at lea&s;t unu&s;ual di&s;re&s;pects and re|proaches
abroad, that He might have a harm|le&s;s
and an innocent appetite to His Own
Countrey, and return to His Own People, with
a full value, and the whole unwa&s;ted Bulk of
His Affections, without being corrupted, or
bya&s;&s;ed by Extraordinary Forraign Obligati|ons:
God Almighty would not have done all
this, but for a Servant whom He will alwayes
pre&s;erve as the apple of His own Eye, and al|wayes
defend from the mo&s;t &s;ecret machinati|ons
of His Enemies.</P>
<P><PB N="23" REF="13">
If the&s;e Argumentations, Gentlemen, ur|ged
with that vivacity as is mo&s;t natural to
your own gratitude and Affections, recover as
many (and it would be &s;trange if it &s;hould not)
as have been corrupted by the other Logick,
the hearts of the whole Nation, even to a man,
will in&s;en&s;ibly be &s;o devoted to the King, as the
only Con&s;ervator and Protector of all that is
dear and precious to them, and will be &s;o Zea|lous
to plea&s;e him, who&s;e greate&s;t plea&s;ure is to
&s;ee them plea&s;ed, that when they make choice
of Per&s;ons again to &s;erve in Parliament, they
will not choo&s;e &s;uch, who they wi&s;h &s;hould op|po&s;e
the King, but therefore choo&s;e them, be|cau&s;e
they have, and becau&s;e they are like to
&s;erve the King with their whole hearts; and
&s;ince he de&s;ires what is be&s;t for his People, to
gratifie him in all he de&s;ires: This ble&s;&s;ed har|mony
would rai&s;e us to the highe&s;t Pinacle of
honour and happine&s;&s;e in this world, a pinacle
without a point, upon which King and People
may &s;ecurely re&s;t and repo&s;e them&s;elves again&s;t
all the gu&s;ts, and &s;tormes and tempe&s;ts which
all the malice of this world can rai&s;e again&s;t us,
and I am &s;ure you will all contend to be at the
top of this Pinacle.</P>
<P><HI>I have no more to add, but the words of cu|&s;tome,</HI>
That the King declares this pre&s;ent Parlia|ment
to be di&s;&s;olved; and this pre&s;ent Parliament
is di&s;&s;olved.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB REF="14">
<PB N="25" REF="14">
<HEAD>THE
SPEECH
WHICH THE
SPEAKER of the Hou&s;e of Commons
made unto the KING, on Saturday <DATE>De|cember
29. 1660,</DATE> being the Day of their
Di&s;&s;olution.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Mo&s;t Gracious and Dread Soveraign,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THe Knights, Citizens and Burge&s;&s;es
now a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, be|ing
the Repre&s;entative Body of Your
Commons of <HI>England,</HI> are as Con|duit
Pipes or Quils to convey the
Streams of Your Peoples dutiful Af|fections
and humble De&s;ires into Your Royal Pre|&s;ence;
and that being done, they need no other
Speaker but Your Self, for they know Your Skil, and
they have had experience of Your Will. And yet
Royal Sir, Though they have no cau&s;e to complain,
they cannot but take notice of Your Partiality, for
when any thing in point of Right, or but Conveni|ency
hath fallen out to be, as we u&s;e to &s;ay, a mea|&s;uring
Ca&s;t, a di&s;putable Ca&s;e between Your Self and
<PB N="26" REF="15">
Your People, without any regard or re&s;pect had unto
Your own Right, or the Advantage that might ac|crue
to Your Self by a&s;&s;erting the &s;ame, if the good of
Your People hath come in competition with it, You
have alwayes ca&s;t it again&s;t Your Self, and given it in
on your Peoples &s;ide.</P>
<P><HI>Royal Sir,</HI> Thus to undo Your Self to do Your peo|ple
good, is not to do as You would be done unto;
and what can we do le&s;&s;e, then by way of a grateful
retribution, cheerfully to pay Your Maje&s;ty the ju&s;t
Tribute of our dutiful Obedience unto all Your Royal
Commands, and upon all occa&s;ions readily to &s;acri|fice,
<HI>Se &amp; &s;ua,</HI> all that we have, or enjoy, Lives
and Fortunes, in the Service of &s;uch an incomparable
Soveraign.</P>
<P>But, <HI>Royal Sir,</HI> It becomes not me to fill Your
Maje&s;ties ears with air; <HI>Loquere, ut te videam,</HI> is the on|ly
Rhetorick the People ought to u&s;e to &s;uch a King
of kindne&s;s, and a Prince &s;o full of good Works;
and therefore, as I am commanded, I mu&s;t humbly
a&s;&s;ure Your Maje&s;ty, that the many healing expedi|ents
propounded by Your Self in your &s;everal mo&s;t
gracious Declarations, have been the &s;ubject matter
upon which Your Commons have wrought all this
Parliament: And in the fir&s;t place, they took in|to
Con&s;ideration, the great and growing charges,
which then lay upon your people, for the pay of
Your Army and Navy; and they conceived it nece&s;|&s;ary;
to begin with that part thereof, next at hand,
wherein Your People would receive the mo&s;t ea&s;e,
and the greate&s;t &s;ecurity and &s;atisfaction, which was
the disbanding Your Maje&s;ties Forces by Land, and
the paying off five and Twenty of Your Ships then
in the Harbour and of no u&s;e: And this led them to
<PB N="27" REF="15">
the Con&s;ideration of &s;uch wayes and means, as were
to be u&s;ed to rai&s;e Moneys for that purpo&s;e: And
that for Poll-money being propounded and pa&s;&s;ed,
&s;ome were of opinion, that, that alone would have
over-done the Work: Others having had experience
of a former Bill of the &s;ame nature, and upon the
like occa&s;ion, fearing it might not an&s;wer expectati|on;
and being unwilling to be deceived the &s;econd
time, e&s;pecially in &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;s as this, wherein a
mi&s;take was like to prove &s;o penal, moved for a fur|ther
Supply, which after &s;ome Debate was agreed up|on,
Of a Two months A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ment at Seventy thou|&s;and
Pounds a month, and both have not yet fully
done the work for which they were de&s;igned, but
with the help of two other Bills here in my hand;
the one intituled, <HI>An Act for the leavying of the Arrears
of the Twelve months A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ment, commencing the four and
twentieth of June 1659, &acirc;nd the Six months A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ment com|mencing
the Five and twentieth of December</HI> 1659. And
the other intituled, <HI>An Act for the further Supplying and
Explaining certain Defects in an Act for the &s;peedy Provi&s;ion
of Money for Disbanding and Paying off the Forces of this
Kingdome both by Land and Sea:</HI> They hope, this Ac|count
will be fully cleared off at la&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Sir,</HI> Your Commons have likewi&s;e taken into their
Con&s;iderations, the Charge of Your Summer-Fleet,
which be&s;ides that part thereof Your Maje&s;ty is plea&s;ed
to take upon Your Self, for Your ordinary Guard of
the Seas, will amount unto a very great &s;um. And as
'tis a great Debt, &s;o it is a growing Debt, in a few
Moneths it doubles. There is a &s;aying, <HI>Qui cito dat,
bis dat;</HI> I am &s;ure 'tis mo&s;t true in this ca&s;e, <HI>Qui cito &s;olvit,
bis &s;olvit;</HI> To pay this Debt readily, is the way to pay
it but once; and to take time to pay it, is the &s;ure way
to pay it twice: And therefore Your Commons lay|ing
<PB N="28" REF="16">
a&s;ide the &s;ad thoughts of their long &s;ufferings,
and tho&s;e mi&s;erable Deva&s;tations and Pre&s;&s;ures they
have lain under for many years la&s;t pa&s;t; and look|ing
upon the nece&s;&s;ity of Affairs, which call impor|tunately,
and mu&s;t be an&s;wered effectually, hath pa&s;|&s;ed
another Bill here in my hand, intituled, <HI>An Act
for Six Moneths A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ment, at Seventy Thou&s;and pounds</HI> per
Men&s;em, to begin the Fir&s;t of <HI>January,</HI> and to be paid
in, the one Moyety thereof before the Fir&s;t of <HI>Febru|ary,</HI>
and the other Moyety, being the remaining part,
by the Fir&s;t of <HI>April</HI> next en&s;uing; which is to be
applyed wholly to the paying off the Arrears of Your
Maje&s;ties Navy and Army.</P>
<P>I have three other Bills in my hand, which have
relation to Your Maje&s;ties Revenue, and are branches
thereof; the One intituled, <HI>An Act for the better Or|dering
the &s;elling of Wines by Retail, and for preventing abu|&s;es
in the Mingling, Corrupting, and Vitiating of Wines, and
for &s;etling and limiting the Prizes of the &s;ame:</HI> And this
Bill is tendered unto Your Maje&s;ty, for preventing
all future di&s;putes touching the Legality thereof: For
we know it is Your Maje&s;ties de&s;ire, that nothing
might be done, by any of Your Officers or Mini&s;ters
that Act under You, <HI>Sine figura Ju&s;titiae, &amp; warranto
Legis.</HI> An other is intituled, <HI>An Act for erecting and
e&s;tabli&s;hing a Po&s;t-Office:</HI> And this being likewi&s;e Le|gally
&s;etled, will be of very great u&s;e to all Your Ma|je&s;ties
People, and e&s;pecially Your Merchants, for
holding Intelligence with their Corre&s;pondents, Fa|ctors
and Agents in Foreign parts, <HI>Litterae &s;unt indices
animi,</HI> and without the &s;afe and &s;peedy di&s;patch and
conveyance of their Letters, they will never be able
to time their bu&s;ine&s;s, nor carry on their Trades to
an equal advantage with the Merchants of other Coun|tries.
The other Bill provides for the increa&s;ing
Your Maje&s;ties ordinary and con&s;tant Revenue by the
<PB N="29" REF="16">
grant of an Impo&s;t to be taken upon <HI>Ale, Beer,</HI> and
other Beveredges therein particularly mentioned and
expre&s;&s;ed; To hold to your Maje&s;ty for life, which
<HI>God</HI> long continue&punc; and as it is the de&s;ire of your Com|mons,
that your Maje&s;ty might never be nece&s;&s;i|tated
to re&s;ort to any extraordinary or unparlia|mentary
wayes and means, for the ray&s;ing of money
upon your People; So they likewi&s;e acknowledg it
to be their duties, to &s;upport and uphold, to the ut|mo&s;t
of their Powers, the Honour and Grandure of
your Maje&s;ties Royal State and Dignity.</P>
<P>And for a further evidence of your Commons duti|full
affections to your Maje&s;ties mo&s;t dear and Royal
Per&s;on, they have pa&s;&s;ed another Bill, for the ray&s;ing
of &s;eventy thou&s;and Pounds for your Maje&s;ties fur|ther
&s;upply; All which Bills I am commanded
humbly to pre&s;ent your Maje&s;ty withall, and to
pray your gracious acceptance thereof, and your Royal
a&s;&s;ent thereunto</P>
<P>There are other Bills likewi&s;e of Publick concern|ment
which have pa&s;&s;ed both Hou&s;es, and do now
attend upon your Maje&s;ty, waiting for your Royal
a&s;&s;ent. The one is Intituled, <HI>An Act for the At|tainder
of &s;everal Per&s;ons, guilty of the horrid Murther of
his late &s;acred Maje&s;ty,</HI> your Royal Father of ever ble&s;|&s;ed
Memory. There is another Bill Intituled, <HI>An Act
for Confirmation of Lea&s;es and Grants from Colledges and
Ho&s;pitals.</HI> This will tend much to the quieting of
many mens E&s;tates, that in the late unhappy times
were enforced to renew, and change their E&s;tates
much for the wor&s;e, were it not for the favour your
Maje&s;ty intends them in this Bill.</P>
<P>There is another Bill to prohibit the Exportation
of Wool, Wooll-fells, Fullers Earth, or any other &s;cour|ing
Earths, Woollen Manufactures, be&s;ides the Du|ties
they pay your Maje&s;ty for your Cu&s;toms
<PB N="30" REF="17">
here at home, have great impo&s;itions laid upon them
in forraign parts where they are vented: In the Low-Countries
&s;ixteen or &s;eventeen <HI>per cent.</HI> and in <HI>Portu|gal</HI>
Twenty <HI>per cent</HI> at the lea&s;t. But tho&s;e, who for
their own private ba&s;e filthy lucre &s;ake, having no re|gard
or re&s;pect unto the publick good, that &s;teal over
the Materials of which tho&s;e Manufactures are made,
pay not one penny either here or there, and by that
means &s;trangers do make tho&s;e Manufactures of our
wool upon &s;uch ea&s;ie termes, that they can afford and
do under-&s;el your Merchants, which is the occa&s;ion of
a double lo&s;s. Fir&s;t, to your Maje&s;ty in your Cu&s;toms,
and in the next Place to your people, who are there|by
di&s;heartened and di&s;couraged, and in a &s;hort time,
if not prevented, will be utterly beaten out of that
Ancient native Staple trade, upon which many thou|&s;ands
of Families do wholly depend for all their live|lihood
and &s;ub&s;i&s;tence.</P>
<P>There is another Bill intituled, an Act for prohi|biting
the planting, &s;etting or &s;owing of Tobacco in
<HI>England</HI> and <HI>Ireland.</HI> This Climate is &s;o cold that it
never comes to any maturity or perfection: for we
find by experience, though it be never &s;o well healed,
made up with the greate&s;t art and skil that po&s;&s;ible
can be, yet it is impo&s;&s;ible, after it is made up into
the Roll, to keep it and pre&s;erve it from putrifying
above three or four moneths at the mo&s;t; and there|fore
Phy&s;itians, even tho&s;e that love it be&s;t, and u&s;e
it mo&s;t, conclude generally, that it is unwhol&s;ome
for mens bodies: Be&s;ides many other great damages
and inconveniencies will follow upon it, if it &s;hould
be permitted. The abatement of your Maje&s;ties
Cu&s;tome, The de&s;truction of your Plantations a|broad,
The di&s;couraging of Navigation, And &s;o con|&s;equently
the decay of Shipping, which are the Walls
and Bulwarks of your Maje&s;ties Kingdom.</P>
<P><PB N="31" REF="17">
There is another Bill Intituled, an Act for the ta|king
away the Court of Wards and Liveries, to|gether
with tenures <HI>in Capite,</HI> Knight-<HI>Service,</HI> te|nures
and Purveyances. This Bill <HI>Ex re nata</HI> may pro|perly
be called a Bill of Exchange: for, as care is there|in
taken for the ca&s;e of Your people; So the &s;upply of
that part of your Maje&s;ties Revenue, which former|ly
came into your Trea&s;ury by your tenures, and for
your Purveyances, is thereby likewi&s;e fully provided
for by the grant of another impo&s;ition to be taken
upon Ale, Beer, and other Liquors, To hold to your
Maje&s;tie, your Heires and Succe&s;&s;ors for ever: And
yet they &s;hould not look upon the con&s;iderations
mentioned in this bill, as a full compen&s;ation and
recompence for your Maje&s;ties parting with two
&s;uch <HI>Royal Prerogatives</HI> and ancient flowers of your
Crown, if more were not implyed then is expre&s;&s;ed.
For, <HI>Royal Sir,</HI> Your Tenures <HI>in Capite</HI> are not only
turned into a Tenure in Soccage (though that alone
will for ever give your Maje&s;tie a ju&s;t Right and
title to the labour of our Ploughs, and the &s;weat of
our browes) But they are likewi&s;e turned into a
Tenure <HI>in Corde:</HI> what your Maje&s;tie had before in
your Court of Wards, you will be &s;ure to find it
hereafter in the Exchequer of your peoples hearts
The King of <HI>Spaines</HI> Mines will &s;ooner deceive him,
then this Revenue will fail you: for his Mines have
bottomes, but the deeper your Maje&s;tie &s;inkes your
&s;elf into the hearts and affections of your people, the
greater you will find your Wealth to be, and the
more invincible your Strength.</P>
<P><HI>Royal Sir,</HI> We have nothing more to offer or to
Ask, but mu&s;t conclude all our work this Parliament
with an humble and thankful acknowledgement of
Gods infinite Goodne&s;s and mercie in Re&s;toring
your Maje&s;tie to your Royal and Imperial Crown,
<PB N="32" REF="18">
Throne and Dignitie; And for making you the Re|&s;torer
of that, which is dearer unto us then our lives,
Our Religion; in which through Gods ble&s;&s;ing and
Gracious a&s;&s;i&s;tance we are re&s;olved to live and dye.
As likewi&s;e for re&s;toring us to our <HI>Magna Charta</HI> Li|berties
having taken the charge and care of them into
your own heart, which is our greate&s;t &s;ecurity, and
more then a thou&s;and confirmations</P>
<P><HI>Royal Sir,</HI> You have denied us nothing we have
asked this Parliament; indeed you have out-done
your Parliament by doing much more for us, then we
could agree among&s;t our &s;elves to ask, and therefore
mu&s;t needs be a happy Parliament: This is a
healing Parliament, A Reconciling Peace-ma|king
Parliament, A ble&s;&s;ed Parliament, A Par|liament,
<HI>Propter excellentiam,</HI> that may truly be called
<HI>Parliamenti&s;&s;imum Parliamentum:</HI> no man can &s;ay, that
hath made the mo&s;t curious &s;earch into Books or Re|cords,
that there ever was &s;uch a Parliament as this;
And its our un&s;peakable joy and comfort that no
man can &s;ay, &s;o long as your Maje&s;tie lives, but we
may have &s;uch another; for you have &s;et your Royal
Heart upon it, to do your people good.</P>
<P>And as we have nothing more to &s;ay, &s;o we have
nothing more to do, but that which will be a doing
as long as we have a being; The pouring out our
&s;oules unto Almighty God for your Maje&s;ties Long,
Long, Long, and mo&s;t happy, ble&s;&s;ed, Glorious and
Pro&s;perous Reign over us.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed by <HI>John Bill,</HI> Printer to the KING'S
mo&s;t Excellent MAJESTY, 1660.</P>
<P>At the KINGS Printing-Hou&s;e in <HI>Black-Fryers.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
