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<DATE>2007-05-30</DATE>
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<NAME>Jonathan Blaney</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A77751">
<STC T="W">B5330A</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">38875679</BIBNO>
<VID>152229</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="half title">
<PB N="1" REF="1">
<P>HIS GRACE
THE
Duke of Buckingham's
SPEECH
FOR
Liberty of Con&s;cience
In M.DC.LXXII.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<P>Licens'd</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>April 25^t^h 1689.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<HEAD>TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<P>HAving by me a &s;hort Speech of the late Duke of <HI>Buckingham's,</HI> under his
own Hand, relating to <HI>Liberty of Con&s;cience,</HI> I thought this a pro|per
Sea&s;on to Publi&s;h it. If you are not of my Opinion, it will take up &s;o lit|tle
of your time to read it, that you may ea&s;ily Pardon</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Humble Servant JO. HARINGTON.</SIGNED><DATE>25^t^h April 1689.</DATE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<OPENER><SALUTE>MY LORDS,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THere is a Thing call'd <HI>Property,</HI> which (whatever &s;ome Men may
think) is that the People of <HI>England</HI> are fonde&s;t of, it is that they
will never part with, and it is that His Maje&s;ty, in His Speech, has promis'd
us to take a particular Care of.</P>
<P>This, <HI>my Lords,</HI> in my Opinion, can never be done, without giving an
<HI>Indulgence</HI> to all <HI>Prote&s;tant Di&s;&s;enters.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="2" MS="y">
It is certainly a very unea&s;ie kind of Life to any Man that has either
<HI>Chri&s;tian Charity, Humanity,</HI> or <HI>Good Nature,</HI> to &s;ee his Fellow Subjects
daily Abus'd, Diverted of their Liberty and Birthrights, and mi&s;erably
thrown out of their Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions and Freeholds, only becau&s;e they cannot
Agree with others in &s;ome <HI>Niceties of Religion,</HI> which their <HI>Con&s;ciences</HI> will
not give them leave to con&s;ent to; and which even, by the <HI>Confe&s;&s;ion</HI> of
tho&s;e who <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span"> upon them, is no way <HI>NECESSARY TO SAL|VATION.</HI></P>
<P>But <HI>(my Lords)</HI> be&s;ides this, and all that may be &s;aid upon it, in order
to the <HI>Improvement of our Trade,</HI> and the <HI>Increa&s;e of the Wealth, Strength,
and Greatne&s;s of this Nation,</HI> (which, under Favor, I &s;hall pre&s;ume to di&s;|cour&s;e
of at &s;ome other time) there is, methinks, in this Notion of <HI>Per&s;e|cution,</HI>
a very gro&s;s Mi&s;take, both as to the <HI>Point of Government,</HI> and the
<HI>Point of Religion.</HI></P>
<P>There is &s;o as to the <HI>Point of Government,</HI> becau&s;e it makes every Man's
Safety depend on the wrong Place, not upon the <HI>Governor,</HI> or a Man's living
well towards the <HI>Civil Government E&s;tabli&s;hed by Law,</HI> but upon his being
tran&s;ported with Zeal for every Opinion that is held by tho&s;e that have
Power in the Church then in Fa&s;hion.</P>
<P>And it is, I conceive, a Mi&s;take in <HI>Religion,</HI> becau&s;e it is po&s;itively again&s;t
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">expre&s;s Doctrin and Example of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Nay,</HI> (my Lords) <HI>as to our</HI> Prote&s;tant Religion, <HI>there is &s;omething in it
yet wor&s;e; for we</HI> Prote&s;tants <HI>maintain, That none of tho&s;e</HI> Opinions,
<HI>which</HI> Chri&s;tians <HI>differ about, are</HI> Infallible; <HI>and therefore in us, it is &s;ome|what
an inexcu&s;able Conception,</HI> That Men ought to be deprived of their In|heritance,
and all the certain Conveniences and Advantages of Life, becau&s;e
they will not agree with us in our uncertain Opinions of Religion.</P>
<P>My humble Motion therefore to your Lord&s;hips is, That you will give me
leave to bring in a Bill of <HI>Indulgence</HI> to all Di&s;&s;enting Prote&s;tants.</P>
<P>I know very well, That every <HI>Peer of this Realm</HI> has a Right to bring in|to
<HI>Parliament</HI> any Bill which he conceives to be u&s;eful to this Nation: But
I thought it more re&s;pectful to your Lord&s;hips to ask your Leave for it be|fore,
I cannot think the doing of it will be of any Prejudice to the Bill, be|cau&s;e
I am confident the <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> the <HI>Prudence,</HI> and the <HI>Charitablene&s;s</HI> of it,
will be able to Ju&s;tifie it&s;elf to this <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> and to the whole <HI>World.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>LONDON, <HI>Printed for</HI> J. Curtis <HI>near</HI> Fleet-bridge, 1689.</P>
</DIV1>
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