AT the opening of this Session of Parliament your Majesty was pleased to speak to your two Houses, and recom­mended three things especially to Us: Unity amongst our selves, the Union [Page 2]of Your Majesties two Kingdoms of England and Scotland, and the supply of Your Majesties Present and Urgent Occasions: In obedience to Your Ma­jesties Commands, we have Industri­ously applyed our Selves to the Con­sideration of these Matters.

By the Blessing of God, all differences are buried in Oblivion; Your Majesties happy Expedient, hath like a strong Gale of Wind blown up the Rouling Sands, and filled up all Impressions. Vestigia nulla retrorsum: And as Your People will universally enjoy the Fruit of this happy Union, so Our United Prayers to God shall be, that Your Majesty may be Crowned with the promised Blessing, Beati pacifici.

In Order to the Union of Your Majesties two Kingdoms, both Your Houses of Parliament have Humbly besought Your Majesty to name Com­missioners for this Your Kingdome of England, and we have prepared a Bill [Page 3]to Authorise them, to Treat with Commissioners to be appointed for your Kingdom of Scotland, upon such Grounds as shall be thought conducing to that end, and to Report them to your Majesty, and to both Houses of Parliament, of this your Kingdom of England, reserving alwayes to your Majesty, and the Two Houses of Par­liament, the entire Consideration of the whole, and the allowing or disallowing thereof, or any part thereof, as they shall think fit.

We have also considered of a Sup­ply for your Majesties Occasions: and I am Commanded by the Knights, Ci­tizens and Burgesses of the House of Commons, to present your Majesty with this Bill, whereby we have given to your Majesty an Imposition upon all Wines and Vinegar imported, after the rate of 8 l. per Tun for all French Wines and Vinegar, and 10 l. per Tun for all other Wines; and have granted [Page 4]this unto your Majesty for 8. years, to Commence from Midsummer next. And I am further Commanded to ac­quaint your Majesty, that we appre­hended the Revenue arising by the power of granting Wine-Licences, set­tled upon his Royal Highness by Act of Parliament, hath been prejudiced by the last Imposition upon Wines, and will be much more impaired by this present Imposition: we therefore added the last year unto this Bill of supply, with this Vote, That your Majesty be humbly desired therewith to recom­pence his Royal Highness the Duke of York, for the Damage he hath received, and shall receive in his Revenue of Wine-Licenses, by this and the last Imposition.

Having thus in the first place with all dutifulness obeyed your Majesties Commands, we held it necessary to re­member those that sent us hither, and to present unto your Majesty some Bills [Page 5]that will be of Publick Use for all the People of the Nation.

There is first a Bill, for the preven­tion of Seditious Conventicles, where­by no man is hindred the use of his own Judgement, in the Exercise of Reli­gion, by himself or in his own Family, or in the presence of four Strangers; but because the Peace of the Nation may be endangered by more populous Meetings, contrary to the Liturgy and Practice of the Church of England, we have imposed a Penalty of 5 s. for rhe first offence, and 10 s. for the second, and every other offence upon all such Offenders, to be levyed by Distress and Sale of the Offenders Goods.

We are informed that your Majesty suffers much by the stealing and imbe­zilling of Your Ordnance, Ammuniti­on, Sail Cloathes, and Stores; and like­wise your good people are much damni­fied by a wicked sort of people, who make it their practise in the Night-time [Page 6]to steal woollen Cloathes, and Stuffs, from off the Racks, and they are much encouraged in this their wickedness, by reason they have their Clergy: We have therefore prepared a Bill for the ta­king away the benefit of Clergy, upon the conviction of all such offendors.

We have likewise prepared an Addi­tional Bill for the rebuilding the City of London, wherein we have revived the Ju­dicatory of your Majesties twelve Judg­es, impowering them to hear and deter­mine the remainder of Causes and Con­troversies, which have not already recei­ved a Settlement by them. We have also made provision for the widening many more Streets than were mentioned in the former Act, and to enable the Lord Maior and Aldermen of the City of London, to give satisfaction to those whose Grounds shall be taken from them. And also for laying the founda­tion at least of the famous Cathedral of St Paul, and towards the rebuilding of [Page 7]fifty one Parish Churches, we have ad­ded an Imposition of 2 s. for every Chal­dron of Coals that shall be brought in­to the Port of London, for the space of 17 years yet to come.

We have likewise prepared a Bill for the ascertaining the Measures of Corn and Salt, and provided that one Mea­sure shall be used in all the Market-Towns of this Kingdome.

We have found great inconvenien­ces by the want of due repairing the Highwayes of this Kingdom, and have therefore taken care for time to come both to amend them, and to prevent the spoiling of them again, by carrying ex­cessive loads, and drawing them with extraordinary number of Horses, and other Cattel.

Experience tells us, when the con­sumption of Forreign Commodities exceeds the use and exportation of our Native Commodities, the Nation must insensibly grow poor, and our [Page 8]Treasure will be exhausted: We have therefore prepared a Bill for the encou­ragement of Tillage, by permitting the exporting of Corn, and also for the en­couragement of other sorts of good Husbandry, by exporting of Horses, Swine, and other Cattell, and of But­ter and Cheese, and have made them all free Merchandize, paying certain Du­ties to your Majestie upon the Expor­tation.

There be some other Bills of a pub­lick nature, and divers private Bills, all which are ready to be presented to your Majestie, for your Royal Assent, the which I shall forbear to enumerate, for fear it may prove tedious to your Ma­jestie.

Having given your Majesty this Account of our proceedings, since our last meeting in this our short but happy Session, it is evident we have not mispent our time, but with the good Servant in the Gospel, have gained many Talents, so that we may with comfort and sa­tisfaction return to our Houses, and we hope we shall carry our Masters Blessing with us.

I Am unwilling to let you go a­way, without telling you, that I am very well satisfied with the Success of this Meeting; and that you have so well complyed with My De­sires, both in the Correspondence between the Two Houses, and in the Progress you have made towards an Union between the Two Kingdoms. I heartily thank you for the Supply you have given Me; and I assure you, I will make it go as farre as I can to­wards the satisfying of My Debts. And be­cause you have been long from home, I am content you Adjourn your selves till the 24th of October next.