<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-03-20</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed text and corrected markup.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B14189">
<STC T="S">14390.3</STC>
<STC T="C">S107591</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99843290</BIBNO>
<VID>176993</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE Kings Maie&s;ties Speech, as it was deliuered by him in the vpper hou&s;e of the Parliament to the Lords <HI>Spirituall and Temporall, and to the</HI> Knights, Citizens and Burge&s;&s;es there a&s;&s;embled,</P>
<P>On Munday the 19. day of March 1603. <HI>being the first day of this pre&s;ent Parlia|ment,</HI> and the fir&s;t Parliament of his Maie&s;ties Raigne.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>Jmprinted at London by</HI> ROBERT BARKER, Printer to the Kings <HI>most Excellent Maie&s;tie.</HI></P>
<P>ANNO 1604.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>THE Kings Maie&s;ties Speech as it was deliuered by him in the vpper hou&s;e of the Parliament, to the Lords Spirituall and Temporall, and to the <HI>Knights, Citizens and Burge&s;ses</HI> there a&s;&s;embled, on Munday the 19. of March 1603. &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>_IT did no &s;ooner plea&s;e God to lighten his hand, and relent the violence of his deuouring Angel again&s;t the poore peo|ple of this Citie, but as &s;oone did I re&s;olue to call this Par|liament, and that for three chiefe and principall rea&s;ons: The fir&s;t whereof is, (and which of it &s;elfe, although there were no more, is not onely a &s;ufficient, but a mo&s;t full and nece&s;&s;arie ground and rea&s;on for con|uening of this A&s;&s;emblie) This fir&s;t rea&s;on I &s;ay is, That you who are heere pre&s;ently a&s;&s;embled to re|pre&s;ent the Body of this whole kingdome, &amp; of all &s;orts of people within the &s;ame, may with your
<PB REF="3">owne eares heare, and that I out of mine owne mouth may deliuer vnto you the a&s;&s;urance of my due thankfulnes for your &s;o ioyfull and generall ap|plau&s;e to the declaring and receiuing of me in this &s;eate (which God by my Birthright and lineall de&s;cent had in the fulne&s;&s;e of time prouided for me) and that, immediatly after it plea&s;ed God to call your late Soueraigne of famous memorie, full of dayes, but fuller of immortall trophes of honour, out of this tran&s;itorie life. Not that I am able to ex|pre&s;&s;e by wordes, or vtter by eloquence the viue i|mage of mine inward thankfulne&s;&s;e, but onely that out of mine owne mouth you may re&s;t a&s;&s;ured to expect that mea&s;ure of thankefulne&s;&s;e at my hands, which is according to the infinitene&s;&s;e of your de|&s;erts, and to my inclination and abilitie for requi|tall of the &s;ame. Shall I euer? nay, can I euer bee able, or rather &s;o vnable in memorie, as to forget your vnexpected readines and alacritie, your e|uer memorable re&s;olution, and your mo&s;t won|derfull coniunction and harmonie of your hearts in declaring and embracing me as your vndoubted and lawfull King and Gouernour? Or &s;hall it euer be blotted out of my minde, how at my fir&s;t entrie into this Kingdome, the people of all &s;orts rid and ran, nay rather flew to meete mee? their eyes fla|ming nothing but &s;parckles of affection, their mouthes and tongues vttering nothing but founds of ioy, their hands, feete, and all the re&s;t of their members in their ge&s;tures di&s;couering a pa&s;&s;io|nate longing, and earne&s;tne&s;&s;e to meete and em|brace
<PB REF="3">their now Soueraigne. <HI>Quid ergo retribuam?</HI> Shall I allow in my &s;elfe, that which I could neuer beare with in another? No I mu&s;t plainely and freely confe&s;&s;e heere in all your audiences, that I did euer naturally &s;o farre mi&s;like a tongue to &s;moothe, and diligent in paying their creditors with lippe payment and verball thankes, as I euer &s;u&s;pected that &s;ort of people meant not to pay their debtors in more &s;ub&s;tantiall &s;ort of coyne. And therefore for expre&s;&s;ing of my thankfulne&s;&s;e, I mu&s;t re&s;ort vnto the other two rea&s;ons of my conuening of this Parliament, by them in action to vtter my thankefulne&s;&s;e: Both the &s;ayd rea&s;ons hauing but one ground, which is the deedes, whereby all the dayes of my life, I am by Gods grace to expre&s;&s;e my &s;ayd thankfulne&s;&s;e towards you, but diuided in this, That in the fir&s;t of the&s;e two, mine actions of thankes, are &s;o in&s;eparably conioyned with my Per&s;on, as they are in a maner become indiuidually annexed to the &s;ame: In the other rea&s;on, mine actions are &s;uch, as I may either doe them, or leaue them vndone, although by Gods grace I hope ne|uer to be wearie of the doing of them.</P>
<P>As to the fir&s;t: It is the ble&s;sings which God hath in my Per&s;on be&s;towed vpon you all, wherin I pro|te&s;t, I doe more glorie at the &s;ame for your weale, then for any particular re&s;pect of mine owne repu|tation, or aduantage therein.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> The fir&s;t then of the&s;e ble&s;&s;ings, which God hath ioyntly with my Per&s;on &s;ent vnto you, is Outward peace: that is, peace abroad with all foreine neigh|bours:
<PB REF="4">for I thanke God I may iu&s;tly &s;ay, that ne|uer &s;ince I was a King, I either receiued wrong of any other Chri&s;tian Prince or State, or did wrong to any: I haue euer, I prai&s;e God, yet kept Peace and Amitie with all, which hath beene &s;o farre tyed to my per&s;on, as at my comming here you are witne&s;|&s;es I found the State embarqued in a great and te|dious warre, and onely by mine arriuall heere, and by the Peace in my Per&s;on, is now amitie kept, where warre was before, which is no &s;mall ble&s;&s;ing to a Chri&s;tian Commonwealth: for by Peace a|broad with their Neighbours the Townes flori&s;h, the Merchants become rich, the Trade doeth en|crea&s;e, and the people of all &s;orts of the Land enioy free libertie to exerci&s;e them&s;elues in their &s;euerall vocations without perill or di&s;turbance. Not that I thinke this outward Peace &s;o vn&s;eparably tyed to my Per&s;on, as I dare a&s;&s;uredly promi&s;e to my &s;elfe and to you the certeine continuance thereof: but thus farre I can very wel a&s;&s;ure you, and in the word of a King promi&s;e vnto you, That I &s;hall neuer giue the fir&s;t occa&s;ion of the breach therof, neither &s;hall I euer be mooued for any particular or priuate pa&s;|&s;ion of minde to interrupt your publique Peace, ex|cept I be forced thereunto, either for reparation of the honour of the Kingdome, or el&s;e by nece&s;&s;itie for the weale &amp; pre&s;eruation of the &s;ame: In which ca&s;e, a &s;ecure and honourable warre mu&s;t be prefer|red to an vn&s;ecure and di&s;honourable Peace: yet doe I hope by my experience of the by-pa&s;t ble&s;|&s;ings of Peace, which God hath &s;o long euer &s;ince
<PB REF="4">my Birth be&s;towed vpon mee, that hee will not be weary to continue the &s;ame, nor repent him of his grace towards mee, transferring that &s;entence of King <HI>Dauids</HI> vpon his by-pa&s;t victories of warre to mine of Peace, That, <HI>that God who pre&s;erued me from the deuouring iawes of the Beare and of the Lyon, and de|liuered them into my hands, &s;hall al&s;o now grant me vi|ctory ouer that vncir cumci&s;ed Phili&s;tine.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> But although Outward peace be a great ble&s;&s;ing; yet is it as farre inferiour to peace within, as ciuill warres are more cruell and vnnaturall then warres abroad. And therefore the &s;econd great ble&s;&s;ing that God hath with my Per&s;on &s;ent vnto you, is Peace within, and that in a double forme. Fir&s;t, by my de&s;cent lineally out of the loynes of <HI>Henry</HI> the &s;euenth, is reunited and confirmed in me the Vnion of the two princely Ro&s;es of the two Hou&s;es of LANCASTER and YORKE, whereof that King of happy memorie was the fir&s;t Vniter, as hee was al&s;o the fir&s;t ground-layer of the other Peace. The la|mentable and mi&s;erable euents by the ciuill and bloody di&s;&s;ention betwixt the&s;e two Hou&s;es was &s;o great and &s;o late, as it neede not be renewed vnto your memories: which, as it was fir&s;t &s;etled and vni|ted in him, &s;o is it now reunited and confirmed in me, being iu&s;tly and lineally de&s;cended not onely of that happy coniunction, but of both the Branches thereof many times before. But the Vnion of the&s;e two princely Hou&s;es is nothing comparable to the Vnion of two ancient and famous Kingdoms, which is the other inward Peace annexed to my Per&s;on.</P>
<PB REF="5">
<P> And here I mu&s;t craue your patiences for a little &s;pace, to giue mee leaue to di&s;cour&s;e more particu|larly of the benefites that doe ari&s;e of that Vnion which is made in my blood, being a matter that mo&s;t properly belongeth to me to &s;peake of, as the head wherein that great Body is vnited. And fir&s;t, if we were to looke no higher then to naturall and phy&s;icall rea&s;ons, wee may ea&s;ily bee per&s;waded of the great benefites that by that Vnion doe redound to the whole I&s;land: for if twentie thou&s;and men be a &s;trong Armie, is not the double thereof, fortie thou&s;and, a double the &s;tronger Armie? If a Baron enricheth him&s;elfe with double as many lands as hee had before, is hee not double the greater? Na|ture teacheth vs, that Mountaines are made of Motes, and that at the fir&s;t, Kingdomes being diui|ded, and euery particular Towne or little Countie, as Tyrants or V&s;urpers could obtaine the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, a Segniorie apart, many of the&s;e little Kingdomes are now in proce&s;&s;e of time, by the ordinance of God, ioyned into great Monarchies, whereby they are become powerfull within them&s;elues to de|fend them&s;elues from all outward inua&s;ions, and their head and gouernour thereby enabled to re|deeme them from forreine a&s;&s;aults, and puni&s;h priuate tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions within. Doe wee not yet re|member, that this Kingdome was diuided into &s;euen little Kingdomes, be&s;ides Wales? And is it not now the &s;tronger by their vnion? And hath not the vnion of Wales to England added a greater &s;trength thereto? Which though it was a great
<PB REF="5">Principality, was nothing comparable in greatnes and power to the ancient and famous Kingdome of Scotland. But what &s;hould wee &s;ticke vpon any naturall appearance, when it is manife&s;t that God by his almighty prouidence hath preordained it &s;o to be? Hath not God fir&s;t vnited the&s;e two King|domes both in Language, Religion, and &s;imilitude of Manners? Yea, hath hee not made vs all in one Iland, compa&s;&s;ed with one Sea, and of it &s;elfe by na|ture &s;o indiui&s;ible, as almo&s;t tho&s;e that were bor|derers them&s;elues on the late Borders, cannot di|&s;tingui&s;h, nor know, or di&s;cerne their owne limits? The&s;e two Countries being &s;eparated neither by Sea, nor great Riuer, Mountaine, nor other &s;trength of nature, but onely by little &s;mall Brookes, or de|moli&s;hed little walles, &s;o as rather they were diui|ded in apprehen&s;ion, then in effect, And now in the end and fulne&s;&s;e of time vnited, the right and title of both in my Per&s;on, alike lineally de&s;cended of both the Crownes, whereby it is now become like a litle World within it &s;elfe, being intrenched and fortified round about with a naturall, and yet admirable &s;trong pond or ditch, whereby all the former feares of this Nation are now quite cut off: The other part of the Iland being euer before now not onely the place of landing to all &s;trangers that was to make inua&s;ion here, but likewi&s;e moued by the enemies of this State by vntimely incur&s;ions, to make inforced diuer&s;ion from their Conque&s;ts, for defending them&s;elues at home, and keeping &s;ure their backe-doore as then it was called, which
<PB REF="6">was the greate&s;t hinderance and let that euer my Predece&s;&s;ors of this Nation gat in di&s;turbing them from their many famous &amp; glorious Conque&s;ts a|broad. What God hath co~ioyned then, let no man &s;eparate. I am the Husband, and all the whole I&s;le is my lawfull Wife; I am the Head, and it is my Bo|dy; I am the Shepherd, and it is my Flocke: I hope therfore no man wil be &s;o vnrea&s;onable as to thinke that I that am a Chri&s;tian King vnder the Go&s;pel, &s;hould be a Polygami&s;t &amp; Husband to two Wiues; that I being the Head, &s;hould haue a diuided and mon&s;trous Body; or that being the Shepheard to &s;o faire a Flocke (who&s;e fold hath no wall to hedge it but the foure Seas) &s;hould haue my Flocke par|ted in two. But as I am a&s;&s;ured, that no hone&s;t Sub|iect of what&s;oeuer degree within my whole Domi|nions, is le&s;&s;e glad of this ioyfull Vnion then I am; So may the friuolous obiection of any that would be hinderers of this worke, which God hath in my Per&s;on already e&s;tabli&s;hed, bee ea&s;ily an&s;wered, which can be none, except &s;uch as are either blin|ded with Ignorance, or els tran&s;ported with Malice, being vnable to liue in a well gouerned Common|wealth, and onely delighting to fi&s;h in troubled waters. For if they would &s;tand vpon their repu|tation and priuiledges of any of the Kingdomes, I pray you was not both the Kingdomes Monar|chies from the beginning, and con&s;equently could euer the Bodie bee counted without the Head, which was euer vn&s;eparably ioyned thereunto? So that as Honour and Priuiledges of any of the
<PB REF="6">Kingdomes could not be diuided from their Soue|raigne, So are they nowe confounded and ioy|ned in my Per&s;on, who am equall and alike kind|ly Head to you both. When this Kingdome of <HI>England</HI> was diuided into &s;o many little Kingdoms as I told you before, one of them behooued to eate vp another, till they were all vnited in one. And yet can <HI>Wilt&s;hire</HI> or <HI>Deuon&s;hire,</HI> which were of the <HI>We&s;t Saxons,</HI> although their Kingdome was of lon|ge&s;t durance, and did by Conque&s;t ouercome di|uers of the re&s;t of the little Kingdoms, make claime to Prioritie of Place or Honour before <HI>Su&s;&s;ex, E&s;&s;ex,</HI> or other Shires which were conquered by them? And haue wee not the like experience in the King|dome of <HI>France,</HI> being compo&s;ed of diuers Dut|chies, and one after another conquered by the &s;word? For euen as little brookes lo&s;e their names by their running and fall into great Riuers, and the very name and memorie of the great Riuers &s;wal|lowed vp in the Ocean: &s;o by the coniunction of diuers little Kingdomes in one, are all the&s;e priuate differences and que&s;tions &s;wallowed vp. And &s;ince the &s;ucce&s;&s;e was happie of the <HI>Saxons</HI> Kingdomes being conquered by the &s;peare of <HI>Bellona;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mars.</NOTE> How much greater rea&s;on haue wee to expect a happie i&s;&s;ue of this greater Vnion, which is onely fa&s;tened and bound vp by the wedding Ring of <HI>Astrea?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Loue and Peace.</NOTE> And as God hath made <HI>Scotland</HI> the one halfe of this I&s;le to enioy my Birth, and the fir&s;t and mo&s;t vnperfect halfe of my life, and you heere to enioy the perfect and the la&s;t halfe thereof; &s;o can I not
<PB REF="7">thinke that any would be &s;o iniurious to me, no not in their thoughts and wi&s;hes, as to cut a&s;under the one halfe of me from the other. But in this matter I haue farre enough in&s;i&s;ted, re&s;ting a&s;&s;ured that in your hearts and mindes you all applaud this my di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Now although the&s;e ble&s;&s;ings before rehear&s;ed of Inward and Outward peace, be great: yet &s;eeing that in all good things, a great part of their good|ne&s;&s;e and e&s;timation is lo&s;t, if they haue not appa|rance of perpetuity or long continuance; &s;o hath it plea&s;ed Almighty God to accompany my per&s;on al&s;o with that fauour, hauing healthfull and hope|full I&s;&s;ue of my bodie, whereof &s;ome are here pre|&s;ent, for continuance and propagation of that vn|doubted right which is in my Per&s;on; vnder whom I doubt not but it will plea&s;e God to pro&s;per and continue for many yeeres this Vnion, and all other ble&s;&s;ings of Inward and Outward peace which I haue brought with me.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4"> But neither peace Outward nor peace Inward, nor any other ble&s;&s;ings that can follow thereupon, nor appearance of the perpetuity thereof, by pro|pagation in the po&s;teritie, is but a weake pillar and a rotten reede to leane vnto, if God doe not &s;treng|then and by the &s;taffe of his ble&s;&s;ing make them du|rable: for in vaine doth the Watchman watch the City, if the Lord be not the principall defence ther|of: in vaine doeth the Builder build the hou&s;e, if God giue not the &s;ucce&s;&s;e: And in vaine (as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith) doeth <HI>Paul</HI> plant and <HI>Apollo</HI> water, if God
<PB REF="7">giue not the increa&s;e. For all worldly ble&s;&s;ings are but like &s;wift pa&s;&s;ing &s;hadowes, fading flowers, or chaffe blowen before the wind, if by the profe&s;&s;ion of true Religion, and workes according thereunto, God bee not mooued to maintaine and &s;ettle the Thrones of Princes. And although that &s;ince mine entry into this kingdome, I haue both by meeting with diuers of the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall E&s;tate, and like|wi&s;e by diuers Proclamations clearely declared my mind in points of Religion, yet doe I not thinke it ami&s;&s;e in this &s;o &s;olemne an Audience, I &s;hould now take occa&s;ion to di&s;couer &s;omewhat of the &s;e|crets of my heart in that matter: For I &s;hall neuer (with Gods grace) be a&s;hamed to make publike pro|fe&s;&s;ion therof at all occa&s;ions, lea&s;t God &s;hould be a&s;hamed to profe&s;&s;e &amp; allow me before men and Angels, e&s;pecially lea&s;t that at this time men might pre&s;ume further vpon the misknowledge of my meaning to trouble this Parliament of ours then were conuenient. At my fir&s;t comming, although I found but one Religion; and that which by my &s;elfe is profe&s;&s;ed, publiquely allowed, and by the Law maintained: Yet found I another &s;ort of Re|ligion, be&s;ides a priuate Secte, lurking within the bowels of this Nation. The fir&s;t is the true Religi|on, which by me is profe&s;&s;ed and by the Law is e&s;ta|bli&s;hed. The &s;econd is the fal&s;ly called Catholikes, but truely Papi&s;tes. The third, which I call a Secte rather then Religion, is the Puritanes &amp; Noueli&s;ts, who doe not &s;o farre differ from vs in points of Re|ligion, as in their confu&s;ed forme of Policie and
<PB REF="8">Parity, being euer di&s;contented with the pre&s;ent Gouernement, and impatient to &s;uffer any &s;uperio|ritie, which maketh their Sect vnable to be &s;uffered in any well gouerned Common wealth. But as for my cour&s;e toward them, I remit it to my Procla|mations made vpon that Subiect. And now for the Papi&s;ts, I mu&s;t put a difference betwixt mine owne priuate profe&s;&s;ion of mine owne &s;aluation, and my politique Gouernment of the Realme for the weale and quietne&s;&s;e thereof. As for mine owne profe&s;&s;i|on, you haue me your Head now among&s;t you of the &s;ame Religion that the Body is of. As I am no &s;tranger to you in blood, no more am I a &s;tranger to you in Faith, or in the matters concerning the hou&s;e of God. And although this my profe&s;&s;ion be according to mine education, wherein (I thanke God) I &s;ucked the milke of Gods trueth, with the milke of my Nur&s;e: yet doe I here prote&s;t vnto you, that I would neuer for &s;uch a conceite of con|&s;tancy or other preiudicate opinion, haue &s;o firme|ly kept my fir&s;t profe&s;&s;ion, if I had not found it a|greeable to all rea&s;on, and to the rule of my Con&s;ci|ence. But I was neuer violent nor vnrea&s;onable in my profe&s;&s;ion: I acknowledge the Romane Church to be our Mother Church, although defiled with &s;ome infirmities and corruptions, as the Iewes were when they crucified Chri&s;t. And as I am none enemie to the life of a &s;icke man, becau&s;e I would haue his bodie purged of ill humours; no more am I enemie to their Church, becau&s;e I would haue them reforme their errors, not wi&s;hing the downe|throwing
<PB REF="8">of the Temple, but that it might be pur|ged and clean&s;ed from corruption: otherwi&s;e how can they wi&s;h vs to enter, if their hou&s;e be not fir&s;t made cleane? But as I would be loather to di&s;pen&s;e in the lea&s;t point of mine owne Con&s;cience for any worldly re&s;pect, then the fooli&s;he&s;t Preci&s;ian of them all; &s;o would I be as &s;ory to &s;traight the poli|tique Gouernement of the bodies and mindes of all my Subiectes to my priuate opinions: Nay, my minde was euer &s;o free from per&s;ecution, or thral|ling of my Subiects in matters of Con&s;cience, as I hope that tho&s;e of that profe&s;&s;ion within this King|dome haue a proofe &s;ince my comming, that I was &s;o farre from encrea&s;ing their burdens with <HI>Reho|boam,</HI> as I haue &s;o much as either time, occa&s;ion, or law could permit, lightened them. And euen now at this time haue I bene carefull to reui&s;e and con|&s;ider deepely vpon the Lawes made again&s;t them, that &s;ome ouerture may be proponed to the pre|&s;ent Parliament for clearing the&s;e Lawes by rea&s;on (which is the &s;oule of the Law) in ca&s;e they haue bene in times pa&s;t further, or more rigorou&s;ly ex|tended by Iudges, then the meaning of the Lawe was, or might tend to the hurt a&s;well of the inno|cent as of guiltie per&s;ons. And as to the per&s;ons of my Subiects which are of that profe&s;&s;ion, I mu&s;t di|uide them into two rankes, Clerickes and Layickes; for the part of the Layicks, certainly I euer thought them farre more excu&s;able then the other &s;ort, be|cau&s;e that &s;ort of Religion containeth &s;uch an igno|rant,
<PB REF="9">doubtfull, and implicit kinde of faith in the Layickes grounded vpon their Church, as except they doe generally beleeue what&s;oeuer their Tea|chers plea&s;e to affirme, they cannot bee thought guilty of the&s;e particular points of here&s;ies and cor|ruptions, which their Teachers do &s;o wilfully pro|fe&s;&s;e. And againe I mu&s;t &s;ubdiuide the &s;ame Lay|ickes into two rankes, that is, either quiet and well minded men, peaceable Subiects, who either be|ing old, haue retayned their fir&s;t drunken in liquor vpon a certaine &s;hamefa&s;tne&s;&s;e to be thought curi|ous or changeable: Or being young men, through euill education haue neuer bene nur&s;ed or brought vp, but vpon &s;uch venim in place of whole&s;ome nu|triment. And that &s;ort of people I would be &s;orry to puni&s;h their bodies for the errour of their minds, the reformation whereof mu&s;t onely come of God and the true Spirit. But the other ranke of Layicks, who either through Curio&s;itie, affectation of No|ueltie, or di&s;contentment in their priuat humours, haue changed their coates, onely to bee factious &s;tirrers of Sedition, and Perturbers of the common wealth, their backwardne&s;&s;e in their Religion gi|ueth a ground to me the Magi&s;trate, to take the bet|ter heede to their proceeding, and to correct their ob&s;tinacie. But for the part of the Clerickes, I mu&s;t directly &s;ay and affirme, that as long as they main|taine one &s;peciall point of their doctrine, and ano|ther point of their practi&s;e, they are no way &s;uffera|ble to remaine in this Kingdome. Their point of
<PB REF="9">doctrine is that arrogant and ambitious Suprema|cie of their Head the Pope, whereby he not onely claimes to be Spirituall head of all Chri&s;tians, but al&s;o to haue an Imperiall ciuill power ouer all Kings and Emperors, dethroning &amp; decrowning Princes with his foot as plea&s;eth him, and di&s;pen&s;ing &amp; di&s;|po&s;ing of all Kingdomes &amp; Empires at his appetite. The other point which they ob&s;erue incontinuall practi&s;e, is the a&s;&s;a&s;&s;inates and murthers of Kings, thinking it no &s;inne, but rather a matter of &s;aluati|on, to doe all actions of rebellion and ho&s;tilitie a|gain&s;t their naturall Soueraigne Lord, if he be once cur&s;ed, his &s;ubiects di&s;charged of their fidelitie, and his Kingdom giuen a praye by that three crowned Monarch, or rather Mon&s;ter their Head. And in this point, I haue no occa&s;ion to &s;peake further here, &s;auing that I could wi&s;h from my heart, that it would plea&s;e God to make me one of the mem|bers of &s;uch a generall Chri&s;tian vnion in Religion, as laying wilfulne&s;&s;e a&s;ide on both hands, we might meete in the midde&s;t, which is the Center and per|fection of all things. For if they would leaue, and be a&s;hamed of &s;uch new and gro&s;&s;e Corruptions of theirs, as them&s;elues cannot maintaine, nor denie to be worthy of reformation, I would for mine own part be content to meete them in the mid-way, &s;o that all nouelties might bee renounced on either &s;ide. For as my faith is the True, Ancient, Catholike and Apo&s;tolike faith, grounded vpon the Scrip|tures and expre&s;&s;e word of God: &s;o wil I euer yeeld
<PB REF="10">all reuerence to antiquitie in the points of Eccle&s;i|a&s;ticall pollicy; and by that meanes &s;hall I euer with Gods grace keepe my &s;elfe from either being an hereticke in Faith, or &s;chi&s;matick in matters of Pol|licie. But of one thing would I haue the Papi&s;ts of this Land to bee admoni&s;hed, That they pre&s;ume not &s;o much vpon my Lenitie (becau&s;e I would bee loth to be thought a Per&s;ecuter) as thereupon to thinke it lawfull for them dayly to encrea&s;e their number and &s;trength in this Kingdome, whereby if not in my time, at lea&s;t in the time of my po&s;teri|tie, they might be in hope to erect their Religion a|gaine. No, let them a&s;&s;ure them&s;elues, that as I am a friend to their per&s;ons if they be good &s;ubiects: &s;o am I a vowed enemie, and doe denounce mortall warre to their errors: And that as I would be &s;ory to be driuen by their ill behauiour from the prote|ction and con&s;eruation of their bodies and liues; So will I neuer cea&s;e as farre as I can, to tread downe their errors and wrong opinions. For I could not permit the encrea&s;e and growing of their Reli|gion, without fir&s;t betraying of my &s;elfe, and mine owne con&s;cience: Secondly, this whole I&s;le, a&s;wel the part I am come from, as the part I remaine in, in betraying their Liberties, and reducing them to the former &s;laui&s;h yoke, which both had ca&s;ten off, before I came among&s;t them: And thirdly, the li|bertie of the Crowne in my po&s;teritie, which I &s;hould leaue againe vnder a new &s;lauery, hauing found it left free to mee by my Predece&s;&s;ors. And
<PB REF="10">therefore would I wi&s;h all good Subiects that are deceiued with that corruption, fir&s;t if they find any beginning of in&s;tinction in them&s;elues of know|ledge and loue to the Trueth, to fo&s;ter the &s;ame by all lawfull meanes, and to beware of quenching the &s;pirit that worketh within them; And if they can finde as yet no motion tending that way, to be &s;tu|dious to reade and conferre with learned men, and to v&s;e all &s;uch meanes as may further their Re&s;olu|tion, a&s;&s;uring them&s;elues, that as long as they are di&s;conformable in Religion from vs, they cannot be but halfe my Subiects, bee able to doe but halfe &s;eruice, and I to want the be&s;t halfe of them, which is their &s;oules. And here haue I occa&s;ion to &s;peake to you my Lords the Bi&s;hops. For as you, my Lord of Durham, &s;aid very learnedly to day in your Ser|mon, Correction without in&s;truction, is but a Ty|rannie: So ought you, and all the Clergie vnder you to be more carefull, vigilant, and diligent then you haue bene, to winne Soules to God, a&s;well by your exemplary life, as doctrine. And &s;ince you &s;ee how carefull they are, &s;paring neither labour, paines, nor extreme peril of their per&s;ons to diuert, (the Deuill is &s;o bu&s;ie a Bi&s;hop) yee &s;hould be the more carefull and wakefull in your charges. Fol|low the rule pre&s;cribed you by S. Paul, <HI>Bee carefull to exhort and to in&s;truct in &s;ea&s;on, and out of &s;ea&s;on:</HI> and where you haue bene any way &s;luggi&s;h before, now waken your &s;elues vp againe with a new dili|gence in this point, remitting the &s;ucce&s;&s;e to God,
<PB REF="11">who calling them either at the &s;econd, third, tenth or twelfth houre, as they are alike welcome to him, &s;o &s;hall they be to me his Lieutenant here.</P>
<P>The third rea&s;on of my conuening of you at this time,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The third rea|&s;on of a&s;tem|bling the Par|liament.</NOTE> which conteineth &s;uch actions of my thanke|fulne&s;&s;e toward you, as I may either doe, or leaue vndone, yet &s;hall with Gods grace euer pre&s;&s;e to perfourme all the dayes of my life. It con&s;i&s;ts in the&s;e two points: In making of Lawes at certaine times, which is onely at &s;uch times as this in Parlia|ment; or in the carefull execution thereof at all o|ther times. As for the making of them, I will thus farre faithfully promi&s;e vnto you, That I will euer preferre the weale of the Body and of the whole Commonwealth, in making of good Lawes and Con&s;titutions, to any particular or priuate ends of mine, thinking euer the wealth and weale of the Commonwealth to be my greate&s;t weale &amp; world|ly felicitie: A point wherein a lawfull King doeth directly differ from a Tyrant. But at this time I am onely thus farre to forewarne you in that point, That you beware to &s;eeke the making of too many Lawes, for two e&s;peciall rea&s;ons: Fir&s;t, becau&s;e <HI>In corrupti&s;sima Republica plurimae leges;</HI> and the exe|cution of good Lawes is farre more profitable in a Commonwealth, then to burden mens memories with the making of too many of them. And next, becau&s;e the making of too many Lawes in one Par|liament will bring in confu&s;ion, for lacke of lei&s;ure wi&s;ely to deliberate before you conclude. For the
<PB REF="11">Bi&s;hop &s;aid wel to day, That to Deliberation would a large time bee giuen, but to Execution a greater promptne&s;&s;e was required. As for the execution of good Lawes, it hath beene very wi&s;ely and honou|rably fore&s;eene and ordered by my predece&s;&s;ours in this Kingdome, in planting &s;uch a number of Iudges and all &s;orts of Magi&s;trates in conuenient places for the execution of the &s;ame: And therfore mu&s;t I now turne mee to you that are Iudges and Magi&s;trates vnder me, as mine Eyes and Eares in this ca&s;e. I can &s;ay none otherwi&s;e to you, then as <HI>Ezekias</HI> the good King of <HI>Iuda</HI> &s;ayd to their Iudges, <HI>Remember that the Thrones you &s;it on are Gods, and nei|ther yours nor mine.</HI> And that as you mu&s;t be an&s;we|rable to me, &s;o mu&s;t both you and I be an&s;werable to God for the due execution of our Offices. That place is no place for you to vtter your affections in, you mu&s;t not there hate your foe nor loue your friend, feare the offence of the greater party, or pity the mi&s;ery of the meaner; ye mu&s;t be blind and not &s;ee di&s;tinctions of per&s;ons, handle&s;&s;e, not to receiue bribes; but keepe that iu&s;t temper and mid-cour&s;e in all your proceedings, that like a iu&s;t ballance yee may neither &s;way to the right nor left hand. Three principal qualities are required in you; Knowledge, Courage, &amp; Sincerity: that you may di&s;cerne with knowledge, execute with courage, and doe both in vpright &s;inceritie. And as for my part, I doe vowe and prote&s;t here in the pre&s;ence of God, and of this honourable Audience, I neuer &s;hall be wearie, nor
<PB REF="12">omit no occa&s;ion, wherein I may &s;hewe my careful|ne&s;&s;e of the execution of good Lawes. And as I wi&s;h you that are Iudges not to bee wearie in your office in doing of it; &s;o &s;hall I neuer be wearie, with Gods grace, to take account of you, which is pro|perly my calling.</P>
<P>And thus hauing tolde you the three cau&s;es of my conuening of this Parliament, all three ten|ding onely to vtter my thankfulne&s;&s;e, but in diuers formes, the fir&s;t by word, the other two by action; I doe confe&s;&s;e that when I haue done and perfor|med all that in this Speech I haue promi&s;ed, <HI>Inutilis &s;eruus &s;um.</HI> Inutile, becau&s;e the meaning of the word <HI>Inutilis</HI> in that place of Scripture is vnder|&s;toode, that in doing all that &s;eruice which wee can to God, it is but our due, and wee doe nothing to God but that which wee are bound to doe: And in like maner, when I haue done all that I can for you, I doe nothing but that which I am bound to doe, and am accomptable to God vpon the contrarie. For I doe acknowledge, that the &s;peciall and grea|te&s;t point of difference that is betwixt a rightfull King and an v&s;urping Tyrant is in this: That wher|as the proude and ambitious Tyrant doeth thinke his Kingdome and people are onely ordeined for &s;atisfaction of his de&s;ires and vnrea&s;onable appe|tites; The righteous and iu&s;t King doth by the con|trarie acknowledge him&s;elfe to be ordeined for the procuring of the wealth and pro&s;peritie of his peo|ple, and that his greate&s;t and principall worldly fe|licitie
<PB REF="12">mu&s;t con&s;i&s;t in their pro&s;peritie. If you bee rich I cannot be poore, if you bee happie I cannot but bee fortunate, and I prote&s;t that your welfare &s;hall euer bee my greate&s;t care and contentment: And that I am a Seruant it is mo&s;t true, that as I am Head and Gouernour of all the people in my Do|minion who are my naturall va&s;&s;als and Subiects, con&s;idering them in numbers and di&s;tinct Rankes; So if wee will take the whole People as one bodie and Ma&s;&s;e, then as the Head is ordeined for the bo|die and not the Body for the Head; &s;o mu&s;t a righ|teous King know him&s;elfe to bee ordeined for his people, and not his people for him. For although a King and people be <HI>Relata:</HI> yet can hee be no King if he want people and Subiects. But there be many people in the world that lacke a Head, wherefore I will neuer be a&s;hamed to confe&s;&s;e it my principall Honour to be the great Seruant of the Common|wealth, and euer thinke the pro&s;peritie thereof to be my greate&s;t felicity, as I haue already &s;aid.</P>
<P>But as it was the whole Body of this Kingdome, with an vniforme a&s;&s;ent and harmonie, as I tolde you in the beginning of my Speech, which did &s;o farre oblige mee in good will and thankfulne&s;&s;e of requitall by their alacritie and readine&s;&s;e in decla|ring and receiuing mee to that place which God had prouided for mee, and not any particular per|&s;ons: (for then it had not bene the body) So is my thankfulnes due to the whole State. For euen as in matter of faults, <HI>Quod &agrave; multis peccatur, impun&egrave; pec|catur:</HI>
<PB REF="13">Euen &s;o in the matter of vertuous and good deedes, what is done by the willing con&s;ent and harmonie of the whole body, no particular per&s;on can iu&s;tly claime thankes as proper to him for the &s;ame. And therefore I mu&s;t here make a little Apo|logie for my &s;elfe, in that I could not &s;atisfie the particular humours of eueryper&s;on, that looked for &s;ome aduancement or reward at my hand &s;ince my entrie into this Kingdome. Three kinde of things were craued of me: Aduancement to honour, Pre|ferment to place of Credit about my Per&s;on, and Reward in matters of land or profit. If I had be&s;tow|ed Honour vpon all, no man could haue beene ad|uanced to Honour: for the degrees of Honour doe con&s;i&s;t in preferring &s;ome aboue their fellowes. If euery man had the like acce&s;&s;e to my Priuy or Bed|chamber, then no man could haue it, becau&s;e it cannot containe all. And if I had be&s;towed lands and rewardes vpon euery man, the fountaine of my liberalitie would be &s;o exhau&s;ted and dried, as I would lacke meanes to bee liberall to any man. And yet was I not &s;o &s;paring, but I may without vaunting affirme that I haue enlarged my fauour in all the three degrees, towards as many and more then euer King of England did in &s;o &s;hort a &s;pace: No, I rather craue your pardon that I haue beene &s;o bountifull: for if the meanes of the Crowne bee wa&s;ted, I behoued then to haue recour&s;e to you my Subiects, and bee burden&s;ome to you, which I would be lothe&s;t to be of any King aliue. For as it is
<PB REF="13">true, that as I haue already &s;aid, it was a whole Bo|die which did de&s;erue &s;o well at my hand, and not euery particular per&s;on of the people: yet were there &s;ome who by rea&s;on of their Office, credit with the people or otherwi&s;e, tooke occa&s;ion both before, and at the time of my comming among&s;t you, to giue proofe of their loue and affection to|wards me. Not that I am any way in doubt, that if other of my Subiects had beene in their places, and had had the like occa&s;ion, but they would haue vt|tered the like good effects, (&s;o generall and &s;o great were the loue and affection of you all towardes me:) But yet this hauing beene performed by &s;ome &s;peciall per&s;ons, I could not without vnthankful|ne&s;&s;e but requite them accordingly. And therefore had I iu&s;t occa&s;ion to aduance &s;ome in Honour, &s;ome to places of &s;eruice about mee, and by rewar|ding to enable &s;ome who had de&s;erued well of me, and were not otherwi&s;e able to maintaine the rankes I thought them capable of, and others who although they had not particularly de&s;erued be|fore, yet I found them capable and worthy of place of preferment and credit, and not able to &s;u&s;taine tho&s;e places for which I thought them fit, without my helpe. Two e&s;peciall cau&s;es moued me to be &s;o open handed: whereof the one was rea&s;onable and honourable; but the other I will not bee a&s;hamed to confe&s;&s;e vnto you proceeded of mine owne infir|mitie. That which was iu&s;t and honourable, was: That being &s;o farre beholding to the body of the
<PB REF="14">whole State, I thought I could not refu&s;e to let runne &s;ome &s;mall brookes out of the fountaine of my thankefulne&s;&s;e to the whole, for refre&s;hing of particular per&s;ons that were members of that mul|titude. The other which proceeded out of mine owne infirmitie, was the multitude and importuni|tie of Sutors. But although rea&s;on come by infu&s;i|on in a maner, yet experience groweth with time and labour: And therefore doe I not doubt, but experience in time comming will both teach the particular Subiects of this Kingdome, not to be &s;o importune and vndi&s;creete in crauing: And mee not to be &s;o ea&s;ily and lightly mooued, in graunting that which may bee harmefull to my E&s;tate, and con&s;equently to the whole Kingdome.</P>
<P>And thus hauing at length declared vnto you my minde in all the points, for the which I called this Parliament: My conclu&s;ion &s;hal onely now be to excu&s;e my &s;elfe, in ca&s;e you haue not found &s;uch Eloquence in my Speech, as peraduenture you might haue looked for at my hands. I might, if I li&s;t, alledge the great weight of my Affaires and my continuall bu&s;ine&s;&s;e and di&s;traction, that I coulde neuer haue lea&s;ure to thinke vpon what I was to &s;peake, before I came to the place where I was to &s;peake: And I might al&s;o alledge that my fir&s;t &s;ight of this &s;o famous and Honourable an A&s;&s;embly, might likewi&s;e breede &s;ome impediment. But lea|uing the&s;e excu&s;es, I will plainely and freely in my maner tell you the true cau&s;e of it, which is: That it
<PB REF="14">becommeth a King, in my opinion, to v&s;e no other Eloquence then plainne&s;&s;e and &s;incerity. By plaine|ne&s;&s;e I meane, that his Speeches &s;hould bee &s;o cleere and voyde of all ambiguitie, that they may not be throwne, nor rent a &s;under in contrarie &s;en|ces like the olde Oracles of the Pagan gods. And by &s;inceritie, I vnder&s;tand that vprightne&s;&s;e and hone&s;tie which ought to bee in a Kings whole &s;pee|ches and actions: That as farre as a King is in Ho|nor erected aboue any of his Subiects, &s;o far &s;hould he &s;triue in &s;inceritie to be aboue them all, and that his tongue &s;hould be euer the true Me&s;&s;enger of his heart: and this &s;ort of Eloquence may you euer a&s;&s;uredly looke for at my hands.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
