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<DATE>05-24-07</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A87837">
<STC T="W">L1006</STC>
<STC T="T">E10_26</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99859681</BIBNO>
<VID>111776</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A
SPEECH,
Of Colonell Edward Leigh, as
it was delivered by him&s;elfe to the Ho|nourable
Hou&s;e of Commons, upon occa&s;ion
of pre&s;enting a <HI>STAFFORD-SHIRE</HI>
PETITION:
As al&s;o the Petition it &s;elfe, pre&s;ented by
the &s;ame Colonell, and divers other Gentlemen
OF
<HI>STAFFORD-SHIRE,</HI>
On Munday the thirtieth of <HI>Septem.</HI> 1644.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed by <HI>F. L.</HI> for <HI>Matthew Wal|bancke,</HI>
at Gray&s;-Inne-Gate. 1644.</P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A
True Copie of a Speech of Co|lonell
Edward Leigh, &s;odainely com|po&s;ed,
and &s;poken by him&s;elfe to the Honoura|ble
Hou&s;e of Commons, upon occa&s;ion of
pre&s;enting a Stafford&s;hire Petition, publi&s;hed
by him&s;elfe, to prevent the printing, and &s;cat|tering
of any fal&s;e Copies.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Mr. Speaker;</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WE are &s;ent hither by our Chiefe
Commander (though wee
could bee ill &s;pared at this
time) to repre&s;ent unto this
Honourable Hou&s;e the &s;ad condition of
our Country. VVhat a mi&s;erie it is for a
Politick body to be deprived of its head,
you all know &s;ufficiently, and will there|fore
<PB N="4" REF="3">
bee the more &s;en&s;ible (we hope) of
our troubles in <HI>Stafford&s;hire.</HI> England
hath heretofore beene divided from the
whole world, (<HI>toto divi&s;os orbe Britannos</HI>)
but was never in any age &s;o much and &s;o
long divided in it &s;elfe wee labour now,
not onely under the grand divi&s;ion of
<HI>King</HI> and <HI>Parliament,</HI> Head and Mem|bers,
but under many &s;ubdivi&s;ions of
Generalls, &amp; Committees, and comman|ders.
The&s;e unhappie divi&s;ions in the
State, and diver&s;e other &s;ad differences in
the Church, do threaten &s;uddaine ruine
to both, unle&s;&s;e You honourable VVor|thies
(who are the grand Phy&s;itians or
our <HI>Church</HI> and State) doe wi&s;ely and &s;ea|&s;onably
compo&s;e them. Inveterate di&s;ea|&s;es
are hardly cured, evill &s;pirits are more
ea&s;ily rais'd then laid <HI>Principis ob&s;ta,</HI> is
good coun&s;ell in this ca&s;e. The eyes of
the three Kingdomes, &s;hall I &s;ay? Nay
of all the Chri&s;tian world are upon you,
<PB N="5" REF="3">
Worthie Patriots, expecting a happie Reformation,
and timely redre&s;&s;e of errours in Religion, and grie|vances
in the Common-wealth: And as you have gi|ven
ample Te&s;timony already both of Your zeale
to Gods glory (and your love to your deare Coun|trie)
&s;o wee doubt not but you will &s;till per&s;i&s;t in &s;o
good a Cau&s;e, that both our &s;elves and our po&s;terity
may ble&s;&s;e you, as Repairers of our breaches, and the
maine Pillors (under God) of upholding our tot|tering
State. The Earle of <HI>Denbigh</HI> fir&s;t received his
power from you, and my Lord Generall, and there|fore
it mu&s;t be di&s;&s;olved by you, before it bee voyde.
The chiefe commanders, the Deputie Leiutenants,
the Gentlemen of quality, and greater part of the
Committee, with thou&s;ands of the Communaltie in
<HI>Stafford&s;hire,</HI> do humbly de&s;ire, that he may be accom|modated
as a Noble Generall, and then &s;peeded into
the Country, action being now more &s;ea&s;onable then
di&s;pute. Many of the &s;ub&s;cribers to this Petition have
attended on my Lords per&s;on in this &s;ervice, and ven|tered
their lives with him. They &s;ee no rea&s;on to
que&s;tion his fidelitie, who hath for this cau&s;e lo&s;t
great friends, di&s;plea&s;ed neere friends, &s;pent his e&s;tate,
and hazarded his life. His wi&s;edome and affability,
are generally known, his courage and re&s;olution hath
appeared to tho&s;e, which have beene eye-witne&s;&s;es, of
his actions, and one vertuou qualifications in a Com|mander,
<HI>I</HI> cannot omit in this Honourable Lord,
though hee have beene much oppo&s;ed by &s;ome ever
<PB N="6" REF="4">
&s;ince hee fir&s;t embarqued him&s;elfe in this imploy|ment,
<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">et he hath ever had a great command over
him&s;elfe and his owne pa&s;sions, therefore I &s;hall thus
conclude, humbly &s;ubmitting to your wi&s;e Iudg|ments;
<HI>He is fit to command others who can &s;o well com|mand
him&s;elfe.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<HEAD>To the Right honourable the
Lords and Commons now a&s;&s;embled in
Parliament; The humble Petition of the
Committee, Commanders, Gentlemen,
and others well affected in the County
of Stafford.</HEAD>
<OPENER>Humbly &s;heweth.</OPENER>
<P>THat whereas the continuall and grievous pre&s;&s;ures of
Plunder, in&s;upportable taxations, impri&s;onments, ter|rours
and murders by the Enemy, now much encrea&s;ing by
the addition of many falling into the&s;e counties of <HI>Stafford</HI>
and <HI>Salop,</HI> being the weake&s;t part of the Kingdome, as we
conceive, through our di&s;tractions, and the unhappy ab&s;ence
of our Lord Generall the Earle of <HI>Denbigh,</HI> and are now
(as we are credibly informed) preparing to plant them&s;elves
in Gari&s;ons for this winter.</P>
<P>We are forced humbly to pray, as formerly, that no ob|&s;tacles
(not worthy to be compared with the &s;ufferings of
the&s;e Countries, and the cau&s;e in generall may any longer re|tard
the accommodation and timely di&s;patch of our L. Ge|nerall,
by who&s;e wi&s;dome and power (under God) we are
<PB N="7" REF="4">
confident there will be rai&s;ed, united, and di&s;po&s;ed &s;uch a
&s;ea&s;onable and con&s;iderable Force in the&s;e, and parts neare
us, that are di&s;ingaged, which now for want of a head, are
di&s;ioynt and un&s;erviceable) as will not only cleare the&s;e, But
a&s;&s;i&s;t other parts. And that the differences betwixt his Lord|&s;hip
and others, may either be &s;peedily reconciled and orde|red,
or deferred untill the lea&s;ure of the honourable Hou&s;es
and the exigents of our condition will admit.</P>
<CLOSER>And your Petitioners &s;hall ever pray, &amp;c.
With 4000. hands of Gentlemen and
others of good ability.</CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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