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<DATE>2013-11-01</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B130910.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<VID>172012</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE SPEECH OF HIS HIGHNESSE THE LORD PROTECTOR TO THE PARLIAMENT IN The Painted Chamber at We&s;tmin&s;ter, on Munday la&s;t, being the fourth of this in&s;tant <HI>September,</HI> 1654.</P>
<LICENSE LANG="eng">
<P>EXamined by the Original Copy; Publi&s;hed by Order and Authority.</P>
</LICENSE>
<P>London, Printed for G. FREEMAN, 1654.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>An excellent Speech of His Highne&s;s the Lord Protector, deliver'd to the Parliament on Mun|day la&s;t in the Painted Chamber.</HEAD>
<P>_ON Munday la&s;t about 9 of the clock in the forenoon, hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Highne&s;s the Lord Protector rode in his Coach to the Abbey Church in very &s;tately equipage, the Gentlemen of his Highne&s;s going bare befor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ichly habited, and next before the Coach the Pages and Lacquey<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, (in their &s;ever<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l Liveries, mo&s;t admirable to behold) on <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ide of the Coach was M^r <HI>Strickland,</HI> one of his Highne&s;s Council, &amp; Cap<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ain of his Guard of Foot; on the other &s;id<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, M^r <HI>Howard</HI> Capt. of the Lif<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">d of Ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> both of them bare, went on foot. In the Coach wiih h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s Highnes was th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">d <HI>Henry</HI> his &s;on, Maj. Gen. <HI>Lambert,</HI> and the Lord Pre&s;ident <HI>La<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ence,</HI> both rid bare, the Maj Gen, in the end of the Coach again&s;t his Highne&s;s, &amp; the Lord P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;ident in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ht boot. After his Highne&s;s Coach rid M^r <HI>Claypool,</HI> M^r of the Hor&s;e, and with him his Highne&s;s led Hor&s;e, very rich, the cloth of cover|ing co&s;ting 500 l. Next came the Lord Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Seal, and Col. <HI>Sy|denham,</HI> and Col. <HI>Montague,</HI> Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Exch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">quer. Then the Gentle|men of his Highne&s;s Foot Guard, and the Wardens of the Tower, all in his Highne&s;s Livery, went along about his Highne&s;s Coach. His Highnes alighting at the Abbey-dore, the Officers of the Army, and the Gentlemen went fir&s;t in; after them 4 Maces, next them the Lord Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Se<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l the L. <HI>Whit|lock</HI> ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rying the pur&s;e. After them, the L. <HI>Lambert,</HI> carrying the Sword, bare, be|fore his Highne&s;s. The re&s;t followed, and his Highne&s;s w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s &s;ea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed ove<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> again&s;t the Pulpit. After the Sermon was done (which was preached by M^r <HI>Th. Goodw<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI>) his Highne&s;s went on foo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, in the &s;ame <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">quipage, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o the Painted Chamber, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">re being a very rich Chair wrought and trimmed with Gold, upon a place up <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">o &s;teps, like a Throne, with a Table before it, and &s;eats for the members, and h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s Highne&s;s &s;tanding <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y with his head bare, deliver'd his mind very excellently as large to the Parliament. The &s;ub&s;tance whereof was as followeth.</P>
<P>THat the Parliament them met, was &s;uch a Congregation as <HI>England</HI> never &s;aw, having on their &s;houlders the intere&s;t of three great Nations, with the Territories thereunto belonging; Yea, that they had upon their &s;houlders the Intere&s;t of all the Chri&s;tian people in the world.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="3">
<P>He promi&s;ed in what he &s;hould &s;ay, plainne&s;s and truth; taking notice, That after &s;o many ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nges and turnings as this Nation hath laboured under, to have &s;uch a day of hope, and &s;uch a door of hope opened as this, was &s;ome months &s;ince above all our thoughts. That it might have been a matter worthy &s;uch a meeting, to have remembred them what occa&s;ioned the ri&s;e and fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t be|ginning of all the to&s;&s;ings that have been upon the&s;e Nations, and to have gi|ven a <HI>&s;eries</HI> not of the <HI>tran&s;actions of men</HI> but of the <HI>providences of God</HI> all along to the&s;e Times, and the grounds of the fir&s;t undertaking to oppo&s;e that U&s;urpati|on and Tyrannie which was upon Us in our Civils and Spirituals: but &s;ome Rea&s;ons diverted him from that; As,</P>
<P N="1">1 <HI>To have proceeded after that manner would have taken up the whole day; for Gods di&s;pen&s;ations have been &s;uch, that, as</HI> David <HI>&s;ayes in another ca&s;e,</HI> If I &s;hould &s;it to count them, they are more then can be numbred.</P>
<P N="2">2 <HI>Becau&s;e the recapitulation of his providences had been largely and wi&s;ely held forth in the Sermon that day, in an allu&s;ion to the &s;tate of, and dispen&s;ations toward the I&s;rae|lites (the onely parallel to Gods dealing with us, that he knew in the world) in bringing them out of Egypt through a wilderne&s;&s;e, towards their place of re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3 <HI>Becau&s;e the end of that meeting was healing, and the remembring of former tran&s;a|ctions particularly might &s;et the wounds fre&s;h a bleeding; and if this day proves not a day of healing what &s;hall we do? but if it be the mind of God (which alone mu&s;t make it heal|ing) to put it into their hearts, then it would be &s;uch a day as Generations to come would ble&s;&s;e them for it.</HI></P>
<P>That it was nece&s;&s;ary rather to let them know in what condition the&s;e Na|tions were when this Government was erected, what were the breaches in our Civils and Spirituals, when every mans hand (at lea&s;t his heart) was again&s;t a|nother, little appeared tending to cementing.</P>
<P>All Gods di&s;pen&s;ations, neither his terrible ones, when He met us in a way of judgment in a ten years civil war, and a &s;harp ones, nor his merciful di&s;pen|&s;ations did work upon us. That we had our Humors and Intere&s;ts, and (as He feared) our Humors were more then our Intere&s;ts; our pa&s;&s;ions more then our judgments. Was not every thing almo&s;t grown arbytrary? What face was upon our affairs as to the intere&s;t and authority of the Magi&s;trate, or to the rights &amp; orders of men, whereby di&s;tinctions have been made for hundreds of yeares of a <HI>Nobleman,</HI> a <HI>Gentleman,</HI> a <HI>Yeoman;</HI> it being a good intere&s;t of the Nation, and a great one? Every mans hand was upon his loins, and &s;aid, <HI>We &s;ee nothing that bears &s;way or rule.</HI></P>
<P>And that &s;pirit that brought under that contempt, though it may be com|prehended in a very &s;hort expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Men of levelling Principles,</HI> yet the thing had a va&s;t exten&s;ion, tending to reduce al the orders and ranks of men to an e|quality to make the Tenant of as liberal a fortune as his Landlord.</P>
<P>His Highne&s;&s;e took notice in the next place of the prodigious contempt up|on God and Chri&s;t, and his Ordinances; a &s;pirit vi&s;ibly acting tho&s;e things w^c^h
<PB N="5" REF="3"> were fore told by <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Jude,</HI> and <HI>Timothy,</HI> as the lot and portion of the la&s;t times, and &s;omthing wor&s;e then the Antichri&s;tian &s;tate; that there &s;hould be pe|rillous dayes, and therefore perillous becau&s;e they &s;hould break all Rules, and labour to root out that remainder of the image of God which was left in the nature of fallen man: And this by men that &s;hould have a form of godline&s;&s;e, denying the power of it. And indeed the character whereby that &s;pirit and principle is de&s;cribed, is &s;o legible and vi&s;ible, that he that runs may read it: And he wi&s;hed th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t it were not to be read or &s;een, and that the grace of GOD might not be turn'd into wantonne&s;&s;e, and Chri&s;t and the Spirit of God made a cloak of vile practi&s;es.</P>
<P>He ob&s;erved, That many would not own the&s;e things, yet they could tell you, the Magi&s;trat hath nothing to do with matters of Con&s;cience or Religion; That he is to look to the outer man, not to meddle with the inner. And &s;uch preten&s;ions he &s;aid there were of liberty of the Subject, and of Con&s;cience (two as glorious things, and as much to be contended for, as any gift God hath gi|ven us.) That both the&s;e were brought in to patronize &s;uch evils. In&s;omuch, that it was affirmed, not to be in the power of the Magi&s;trate &s;o much as to print Bibles, left it &s;hould &s;eem an impo&s;ition on the Con&s;ciences of men, to receive them from the Magi&s;trate, as true.</P>
<P>And the&s;e abominations &s;welled to that height, that the Ax was laid to the Root of the Mini&s;try, as <HI>Antichri&s;tian</HI> and <HI>Babyloni&s;h.</HI> And as the extremity was great before, that no man, though well approved, and having a good te&s;timony might preach, if not ordained, &s;o now on the other hand, they would have Or|dination put a nullity upon the Calling. He took notice of another evil that had more refinedne&s;&s;e in it, more colour for it, and had deceived more people of integrity then the former; for few were catcht with the former mi&s;takes, but &s;uch as apo&s;tatized from their holy profe&s;&s;ion, &s;uch as having been corrupted in their Con&s;ciences, have been for&s;aken by God, and left to noy&s;ome opinions. But there was another thing that deceived many well meaning people, who&s;e hearts are &s;incere, and &s;uch (as he was per&s;waded) belong to God, and that is the <HI REND="large">Fifth Monarchie,</HI> Mens pretending to more &s;pirituality then any other. It is a Notion, which (as he hoped) we all honour and wait for, That <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> will have his time to &s;et up his reign in our hearts, and to &s;ubdue that corrup<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ion and lu&s;t which reigns more in the world now than ever; and he hoped in due time, it &s;hall be; But for men to entitle them&s;elves to be the onely men to govern Nations, and rule Kingdoms, and give Laws to the world, to determine of property and li|berty, and every thing el&s;e, needs a great manife&s;tation of Gods pre&s;ence before wi&s;e men will &s;ubmit to it.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<P>Many of tho&s;e he conc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ived in his very &s;oul had good meanings, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d he ho|p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d this <HI>Pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">liament</HI> would (as <HI>Jude</HI> &s;ayes, reckoning up the abomin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ble Apo&s;ta|cies of the a&s;t times) pluck &s;ome out of the fire, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ave others with fear, ma|king tho e o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> peaceable Spirits, the &s;ubj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ct of their encouragement, and &s;aving others by that di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cipline that God hath ord<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ined to reform mi&s;car<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">iages. The danger of that Spirit being not in the notion, but in its proceeding to a civill tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;gre&s;&s;ion. When men &s;hall come into &s;uch a practice, as to tell u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>That liber|ty and proper<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y are not the badges of that Kingdom; and that in &s;tead of regulating Lawes, Laws mu&s;t be &s;ubverted, and perhaps the Judicial Law impo&s;ed, or &s;ome fancy in &s;tead of it (for t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">at was good and honourable in the In&s;titution, though now by &s;ome mi&s;applyed) &s;pecially when every &s;tone is turn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d to bring in Confu&s;ion.</HI> This will be a con&s;iderati|on worthy of the Magi&s;trate.</P>
<P>His Highne&s;s p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oceeded to &s;hew, <HI>That while the&s;e things were in the mid&s;t of us, and the Nation rent and turn from one end to another, Family again&s;t Family, Pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">nt a|gain&s;t Child, and nothing in the hearts and minds of men, but</HI> Ov<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">turn, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">urn, <HI>a Scripture ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y much abu&s;ed, and challenged by all men of di&s;contented Spi|rits.</HI> The common enemy in the mean time &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eps not; &s;warms of J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">uit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">|ing ove<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, having thei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Con&s;i&s;tories abroad to rule all the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>England,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">d the dependancies thereof. In the mean time vi&s;ible ende<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">vors <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">der the work in <HI>Ireland,</HI> to ob&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uct the work in <HI>Scotland;</HI> Corre&s;pon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> In|telligencies are held to incourage &amp; foment the war in the&s;e places. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> all we were deeply ingaged in a war with <HI>Portugal,</HI> whereby our T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ade <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">: and not onely &s;o, but a war with <HI>Holland,</HI> which con&s;umed our T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;ure <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> much as the A&s;&s;e&s;ment came to.</P>
<P>At the &s;ame time we fell into a war with <HI>France,</HI> or rather we were in it, and all this fomented by the divi&s;ions among&s;t us, which begat a confiden<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s we could not hold out long; and the calculation had not been ill, if the Lord h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d not been gracious to us B &s;id<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s, &s;trangers increa&s;ed in the Manufacture, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ta|ple commodity of this N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tion. In &s;uch a he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">p of confu&s;ion was this p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or Na|tion, and that it might not &s;ink into a confu&s;ion, from the&s;e premi&s;es a Rem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">dy mu&s;t be applyed.</P>
<P>A Remedy hath been applyed: <HI>This Government a thing that is &s;een, and read of all; and which, let men &s;ay what they will (he could &s;peak with comfort befere a Greater then th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y all, as to his own intention, and let men judge out of the thing it &s;elf)</HI> is calcu|l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d for the intere&s;t of the people, for their intere&s;t alone, and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> good, with u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> re&s;pect had to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ny <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ither intere&s;t. He added, That he might wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h hum|blene&s;s towards God, and mode&s;ty before them, &s;ay &s;omething in behalf of it.</P>
<P><HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t hath endeavoured to refo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m the Laws and for that end hath joyned per&s;ons (without reflection upon any) of as great ability and integrity as any other, to con&s;ider how the laws might be m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e pl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">in, &s;hort, and ea&s;ie which may in due time be tendered.</HI></P>
<P><HI>It hath t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ken care to put into &s;eats of Ju&s;tice, men of the mo&s;t known integrity and abi+lity.
<PB N="7" REF="4"> The Chancery hath been reformed, and (I hope) to the ju&s;t &s;atisfaction of all good men. It hath put a &s;tep to that heady way, for every man that will, to make him&s;elf a Prea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">her, having endeavoured to &s;ettle a way for appr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">bation of men of piety, and fitne&s;&s;e for the work, and the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e committed to tru&s;ty per&s;ons both of the Presby<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">erian and Indepen|dent Judgment, men of as known ability and integrity, as (we &s;uppo&s;e) any the Nation hath, and (we believe) have laboured to approve them&s;elves to God and their own C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n|&s;ciences, in approving men to that great Function.</HI></P>
<P><HI>It hath taken care to expunge men unfit for that work, who have been the common &s;corn and reproach of that Admini&s;tra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ion.</HI> &mdash; One thing more, It hath been in&s;trumental to call a free Parliament, ble&s;&s;ed be God we &s;ee here this day a free Parliament; and that it may continue &s;o, he hop<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s is in the heart of every good man of <HI>England;</HI> and he added, That for his own part, as he had de&s;ired it a|bove his life, &s;o to keep it free, he &s;hould value it ab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ve his life.</P>
<P>Having thus in&s;tanced in the wars wherein we were plunged, and the little a&s;&s;urance from Neighbo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">us abroad, he procedeed to &s;hew that a Peace is made with <HI>Sweden</HI> (wherein an honourable per&s;on was in&s;trumental) it being of much importance to have a good under&s;tanding with our Prote&s;tant Neigh|b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs&punc; A peace is al&s;o made with the <HI>Dane,</HI> and a peace there that is honourable, and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">tisfaction of the Merchants.</P>
<P>The <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> open to us, from whence as from a Fountain, our Naval provi|&s;ions are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">.</P>
<P>That a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> is made with the <HI>Dutch</HI> (which is &s;o well known in the con&s;e|quen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> of<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></P>
<P>He &s;et for<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> the advantage of a good Und r&s;tanding with Prote&s;tant States. And he begged, <HI>That it might be in the Parliaments hearts to be zealous of the P ote|&s;tant Intere&s;t ab oad, whibh if ever it be like to come under a condition of &s;uff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ring, it is now, many of them being bani&s;hed and d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ven to &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">k refuge among &s;trangers. That a peace is made with Po<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tuga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> (though it hung long) of great concernment to Trade; and the peo|ple that trade thither, have freedom to enjoy their Con&s;ciences, without being &s;ubjected to the bloody Inqui&s;ition. And that a Treaty with France is now depending.</HI></P>
<P>His Highne&s;&s;e then further declared, That it might be nece&s;&s;ary for them to hear a little of the Sea affairs, &amp; took notice of the great expence of the for|ces and fleet, and yet 30000 <HI>l.</HI> is now abated of the next three months a&s;&s;e&s;ment. And having &s;poken about an hour and half, his Highne&s;s drew to a conclu&s;ion, pre&s;enting them with this Ob&s;ervation, That the things before-mentioned are but entrances and doors of hope; That they are brought to the edge of <HI>Canaan</HI> (into which many that have gone before could not enter) That if the ble&s;&s;ing and pre&s;ence of God go along with them in management of their Affaires, He makes no que&s;tion but he will inable them to lay the top-&s;tone of this Work. He then remembred them, that they have a great work upon them; <HI>Ireland</HI> to look to; that the beginnings of that Government may be &s;etled in terms of ho|nour,
<PB N="8" REF="5"> That they had before them the con&s;ideration of tho&s;e forrein States tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> as yet peace is not made with, who if they &s;hall &s;ee we manage not our Affaires with prudence as becom s men, will re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ain hopes that we may &s;ink under the di&s;advantages thereof, and break into confu&s;ion. He per&s;waded th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o have a &s;weet, gracious, and holy under&s;tanding one of another, and put them in mind of the councel heard that day in order thereunto. And de&s;ired them for a con|clu&s;ion, to believe that He &s;pake not to them as one that would be a Lord over them, but as one that was re&s;olved to be a fellow-&s;ervant with them, to the In|tere&s;t of this great Affair; and &s;o wi&s;hed them to repair to their Hou&s;e, and ex|erci&s;e their own liberty in the choice of their Speaker. His Highne&s;s having done, the Members went to their Hou&s;e, and having cho&s;e M^r <HI>Lenthal</HI> Speaker, they ordered a Fa&s;t to be kept by them, and in London, and parts adjacent on the 13 of this in&s;tant <HI>Septemb.</HI> In all other parts of <HI>England, Scotland,</HI> &amp; <HI>Wales,</HI> on the 4 of <HI>Octob.</HI> And in <HI>Ireland</HI> the 1 of <HI>Novemb.</HI> to &s;eek to God for direction and coun&s;el, and to pray for a ble&s;&s;ing upon their endeavors.</P>
<P><HI>After which, his Highne&s;&s;e retired into the place, formerly called the Hou&s;e of Lords, and &s;o took Barge, and went down to White-Hall by water.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>The End.</TRAILER>
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