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<DATE>2014-10-14</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Simon Charles</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch Z140414.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<STC T="W">C2811</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]19327543</BIBNO>
<VID>205536</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>His Maie&s;ties Speech to the Knights, Gentlemen, and Freeholders of the County of Lincoln, At LINCOLN.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Gentlemen,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_IF I could have &s;u&s;pected your affections, or have cen&s;ured the duty of this County by &s;ome late Actions in it, I &s;hould not have taken this pains to have given you a Te&s;timony of my Affecti|on to you, and to remove tho&s;e Objections, which being rai&s;ed by a Malignant Party, may, by their cunning and indu&s;try, get credit even with hone&s;t minds. The truth is, I come to you to a&s;&s;ure you of my purpo&s;es and re&s;olutions, for the Defence of what ever is or &s;hould be dear unto you, your Religion, your Liberty, your common Intere&s;t, and the Law of the Land: and to undeceive you of that Opinion, which I hear hath mi&s;-led many of you, That the pretend|ed Ordinance of the <HI>Militia</HI> is warranted by my Con&s;ent and Authority. As I have already Informed you, by my &s;everall Declarations and Me&s;&s;ages, that the &s;ame is again&s;t the known Law, and an Inva&s;ion of my unque&s;tionable Right, and of your Liberty and Property, &s;o I doe now declare unto you, that the &s;ame is impo&s;ed upon you again&s;t my Expre&s;&s;e Con&s;ent, and in Contempt of my Regall Autho|rity; And therefore who&s;oever &s;hall henceforth pre&s;ume to Execute or Obey the &s;ame, I &s;hall proceed again&s;t them, as again&s;t &s;uch who promote Rebellion, and actually levie War again&s;t me: And I doubt not, but you will &s;adly con&s;ider, That if any Authority without and again&s;t my Con&s;ent may lawfully impo&s;e &s;uch Bur|thens upon you, it may likewi&s;e take away all that you have from you, and &s;ubject you to their Lawle&s;&s;e, Arbi|trary Power and Government: And how farre they are like to exerci&s;e that Iurisdiction towards you, you may gue&s;&s;e by the In&s;olence of Sir <HI>Iohn Hotham</HI> at <HI>Hull,</HI> who (being a Subject) not only pre&s;umes to keep His Soveraign, by force of Arms, out of His Town, but murthers his Fellow-Subjects, impri&s;ons them, burns their Hou&s;es, drowns their Land, takes them Captives, and commits &s;uch Outrages, and Acts of Ho&s;tilitie, as the mo&s;t equall and outragious Enemies practi&s;e in any Countrey; That you may &s;ee how impo&s;&s;ible 'tis for your Liberties and Properties to be pre&s;erved, when your King <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span">, and His ju&s;t Rights taken from Him: Who hath brought the&s;e Calamities upon your Neighbour<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word">, every Man &s;ees; and they onely can bring the &s;ame upon you. I will not beleeve you to be &s;o in&s;en&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">e of the benefits you have received from me, that I need put you in mind of the Gracious Acts pa&s;&s;ed by me t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">s Parliament on your behalfs; And if there be any thing wanting, to the making you the happie&s;t Subjects in the world, I am &s;ure 'tis not my fault, that you have not that too: Be not deceived with words, and Generall Expre&s;&s;ions; 'tis not in your Power to name one Particular, which might make you happy, that I have refu&s;ed to Grant: Be not Frighted with Apprehen&s;i|ons, That this Countrey is like to be the Seat of a war; the Seat of a war will be onely where per&s;ons ri&s;e in Re|bellion again&s;t me; that will not, I hope, be here, and then you &s;hall be &s;ure of my Protection; I will live and die in your Defence. And that you may be in a Readine&s;&s;e, and a Po&s;ture to defend your&s;elves and me, again&s;t any Inva&s;ion or Rebellion, I have Armed &s;everall per&s;ons of Honour, Quality, and Reputation among&s;t you, and of your own Countrey, with a Commi&s;&s;ion of Array to that purpo&s;e: There is no hone&s;t end declared in that Ordinance, which is not provided for by this Commi&s;&s;ion, which being according to the old known Law, is fit for your Obedience, and I doubt not will finde it.</P>
<P>In a word, I a&s;&s;ure you, upon the Faith and Honour of a Chri&s;tian King, I will be alwayes as tender of any thing which may advance the true Prote&s;tant Religion, protect and pre&s;erve the Laws of the Land, and defend the ju&s;t Priviledge and Freedom of Parliament, as of my Life, or my Crown: and when I faile in either of the&s;e, I will not looke for your a&s;&s;i&s;tance; till then you are concerned not to &s;ee me &s;uffer.</P>
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<P>&para; Imprinted at York by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings mo&s;t Excellen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> Maje&s;tie: And by the A&s;signes of JOHN BILL. 1642.</P>
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