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<DATE>2010-08-03</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch Z100710.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A90050">
<STC T="W">N840</STC>
<STC T="T">E199_18</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">50874296</BIBNO>
<VID>157516</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>GENERALL LESLEYS SPEECH
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">n the Parliament of
Scotland, the 25. of October, 1641. In defence of him&s;elfe upon certaine
&s;landers which are reported of him.</P>
<P><HI>Wherein be expre&s;&s;eth his affection to the King and
King|dome of England.</HI></P>
<P>Al&s;o concerning the Traytors of Scotland which did lay a plot
to take away his life.</P>
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>General Lesley, richly dressed, on a rearing
horse</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>Generall <HI>Le&s;ley's</HI> SPEECH IN PARLIAMENT.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Lords,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_TO purge my &s;elfe of &s;ome &s;landerous accu&s;ations, I
have pre&s;umed to pre&s;ent my &s;elfe before your ho|nours, thereby to
&s;toppe the mouthes of my ene|mies, and to revive the former good opinion
which true and loyall &s;ubjects have had of mee: There have beene &s;ome
lately my Lords, which have not beene a&s;hamed to &s;ay, that what&s;oever of
late I at|tempted <PB REF="3">in the defence of
piety and truth, were all for my owne ends, not for the good of my Country.</P>
<P>Whereas God is my true and be&s;t of wit|ne&s;&s;es, that all my
intents were reall and for the good of both Kingdomes.</P>
<P>My Noble Lords, it is unknowne to very few of you that I have
exerci&s;ed armes the&s;e many yeares, almo&s;t from my childehood, and yet did
I never take part with the Church of Rome, but have alwaies beene a &s;worne
foe again&s;t it.</P>
<P>Many battells have I fought &s;ince fortune was my friend to
make me a Commander; but (I prai&s;e God) not &s;peaking in a boa&s;ting way,
as yet I never left the field but was crowned with victory.</P>
<P>I was your Generall again&s;t England, and yet not again&s;t it
but for it, as it hath now happened by the mo&s;t happy pacification.</P>
<P>Ye &s;ee my Lords now, that nature doth claim its due, old age
overcommeth the &s;tronge&s;t, but yet were there occa&s;ion in England for to
employ me again&s;t a forraine foe, my &s;ervice &s;hould attend the Kings
command, I would make u&s;e of my be&s;t of skill to overthrow his foes: I know
my Lords that I have beene cen&s;ured hard of abroad, but I hope that my
<PB REF="3">truth and loyalty to my Soveraigne,
&s;hall &s;top the lying tongue of flying &s;ame; a long time was I branded
with that accur&s;ed title of trai|tor which my &s;oule abhorres, and to defend
my innocency, my heart at all times is ready.</P>
<P>My Lords, give me licence to make u&s;e of a dolefull
expre&s;&s;ion, which is for the ingrati|tude of tho&s;e for whom I feared not
to ven|ture my deare&s;t bloud, yet the&s;e deceitfull <HI>Iuda&s;es</HI> have
agreed together to betray mee and &s;natch away my &s;hort breathing life.</P>
<P>How many dayes when they have beene &s;porting and taking their
plea&s;ures, have I beene taking paines, and &s;tudying for to pre|&s;erve both
them and their families? How many nights have I watched, when they have beene
mantled in their &s;ilkes, and pro&s;trated upon their downe beds, taking their
&s;weet, &s;i|lent and quiet re&s;t: And yet for all this my Lords, am I the
marke they have chiefely &s;hot at to de&s;troy, for which the great God
forgive them, for my owne part I freely doe appealing to their con&s;ciences
which I know can truly tell them, whether I have de|&s;erved their hate or
no.</P>
<P>But yet my Lords, give me leave to &s;peake both <HI>pro</HI>
and <HI>con,</HI> although I freely forgive them the particular injury which
they thought to have wrought upon me, yet mu&s;t <PB REF="4">the
Law have its proceeding again&s;t them for they which will goe about to robbe
the King of his true and loyall &s;ubjects, will not be afraid in time to try
their utmo&s;t skill to de&s;troy the King him&s;elf.</P>
<P>O Ambition, Ambition! How loftily do&s;t thou &s;oare? For it is
thee and none but thee which doth &s;teere the actions of each di&s;loy|all
traitor for being great, yet becau&s;e they doe not daily ari&s;e to bee
greater, they will &s;trive to &s;wimme to their intents through a &s;ea of
bloud: What honour would the&s;e Lords have got to take away my life? O but
they had greater pri&s;es which they did aime at, but God did hinder them, who
alwaies hath beene and alwaies will bee the defender of tho&s;e which put their
tru&s;t in him the living God.</P>
<P>In what a mi&s;erable e&s;tate are the&s;e men in now? They have
gained them&s;elves the e|verla&s;ting hate of all good men, they have lo&s;t
their honours, &s;tained their Ance&s;tors &s;ame, and prejudicated their owne
lives: Oh did a traitor but thinke before what hee went about when his minde is
fir&s;t hampering upon treachery! he would change his wicked re|&s;olution; for
fir&s;t, let him thinke of the danger which will follow, and then of ten
hundred <PB REF="4">thou&s;and times much more in
the world to come.</P>
<P>My Lords, may I finde the joyes of hea|ven, but as truly as I
meane faithfully both to my King and Country, and then were I cer|taine of an
everla&s;ting, mo&s;t happy, joyfull and heavenly e&s;tate: That God would
al|waies ble&s;&s;e King <HI>Charles</HI> our lawfull native King and
Governour, &amp; his true &s;ubjects &s;hal alwaies be my praier, and &s;o is
it I know of all tho&s;e which wi&s;h well unto Sion.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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