THe last time the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the Commons House of Parliament had the honour to waite upon you in this place, your Majestie was graciously pleased to congratulate with them for the glorious meeting of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons of England, in this your full, free, and legal Parliament.

Great Sir, it is our present comfort, and will be our future glory, that God hath made us instrumental for the re­pairs of those breaches, which the worst of times had made upon the best of Governments. The late great Eclipse in our Horizon, occasioned by the interposition of the earth, is now vanished; the stars in our Firmament are now full of light; the light of our Moon is become like the light of the Sun; and the light of our Sun is sevenfold.

A man that sees the River of Thames at a high water, & observes how much it sinks in a few hours, would think it running quite away, but by the secret providence of God, we see that when the ebbe is at the lowest, the tyde of a rising water is nearest the return.

Your Majestie was likewise graciously pleased to speak something to us on Your own behalf; and did vouchsafe to say you would ask something for your self; withall, declaring some un­easinesse in your condition, by reason of some crying debts which daily called for satisfaction.

Great Sir, I am not able to expresse, at the hearing of those words, with what a Sympathy the whole body of the Parliament was presently affected; The circulation of the bloud, of which our late naturalists do tell us, was never so sensibly demonstrated, as by this ex­periment; before your Majesties words were all fallen from your lips, you might have seen us blush; all our bloud came into our faces, from thence it hasted down without obstruction to every part of the body, and after a due con­sulting of the several parts, it was found necessary to breathe a vein.

We cannot forget how much our Trea­sure hath been exhausted, but we remember also, 'twas by Usurping and Tyrannical powers; and therefore we are easily per­swaded to be at some more expence to keep them out.

The Merchant tels us, 'tis good pollicy in a troubled Sea to lose some part of our Cargoe, thereby to save the rest.

With Your Majesty's leave, we have been bold to look into the present state of af­fairs, and find those great sums that have been heretofore advanced upon us, were raised most of them in bad Times, and for ill purposes, to keep Your Majesty out of this Your Native Kingdom: And when Your Majesty returned home from Your long banishment, you found the Naval Store-house unfurnish'd, which will not easily be supplyed: The unsetled humors, and unquiet Spirits that are yet amongst us, do necessitate a Costly Guard for your Roy­all Person: The honorable Accessions of Dunkirk, Tangier and Jamaica do at present [Page 6]require a great supply; but we have reason to believe, in time to come, will repay this Nation their Principal with good Interest.

Your Majesty hath sent a Royal Fleet upon an happy Errand, to bring your Royal Consort hither; and is there any English man will stick to pay the wages of those Mar­riners, whose ships do bring so good a Freight?

Upon all these Considerations your Loyal COMMONS were in pain until, like prudent and good Husbands, they had re­deem'd the Nation from all its publick Debts. And that your Majesty may at once have a full measure of their Duty and Affection to your self: And that your Neighbours a­broad, as well as the discontented Commonwealths-men, with all their complicated In­terests here at home, may see the happy cor­respondence that is between our Head and all the Members of this Body Politick: We have cheerfully and unanimously given your Majesty 1260000 l. which Sum we de­sire may be levied in 18 months, by six [Page 7]quarterly Payments, after the rate of 70000 l. per mensem, to begin the five and twentieth of this present December. In order whereun­to we humbly pray your Majesty's Royal Assent unto this Bill.