[Page] A MESSAGE From both HOUSES of PARLIAMENT unto His MAjESTIE, Concerning the PRINCE, His SON.

With the ANSVVER of His Majestie thereunto.

Together with His Majesties Answer to the desire of both Houses concerning the MILITIA.

LONDON: Printed by ROBERT BARKER, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie: And by the Assignes of JOHN BILL.

1641.

❧ A Message from both Houses of Parliament unto His Majestie, concerning the Prince, his Son.

THe Lords and Com­mons in Parliament humbly desire His Ma­jestie, That the Prince may not be removed from Hampton-Court; And that for these ensuing Reasons.

1. They conceive His Majestie had Resolved that the Prince should stay at Hampton Court untill His Maje­sties Return.

2. That the Lord Marquesse Hert­ford, appointed by His Majestie to be [Page 2] Governour of the Prince, and appro­ved of, and commanded by the Par­liament to give his personall atten­dance on the Prince, Is now so in­disposed in his health, that he is not able to attend the Prince to any other place.

3. That the Prince his Removall at this time from Hampton-Court may be a cause to promote Iealou­sies and Fears in the hearts of His Majesties good Subjects, which they conceive very necessary to avoid.

Die Jovis 24. Febr. 1641.

ORdered by the Lords and Commons in Parliament, that the Lord Howard of Char shall attend upon the King, and present these Reasons unto his Majestie.

Io. Browne Cler. Parliamen.

His Majesties Answer to the Reasons He Received by way of Message from both Houses concerning the Prince, his SON.

THat His Majestie in­tended at His remove from Hampton-Court with His Royall Con­sort the Queen, to­wards Dover, That the Prince His Son should stay at Hampton-Court, till His Majestie returned to some of His Houses, and thereupon, as soon as His Majestie resolved upon a certain day to be at Greenwich, He commanded that His Son should attend Him there, which was no way contrary to His former Inten­tion.

2. That His Majestie was very sorry to hear of the Indisposition of the Marquesse Hertford, being the Person upon whom He principally [Page 4] relies for the Care of His dearest Son; But if that Indisposition should have lasted, His Majestie could no wayes think fit, that his want of health should have hindred the Prince from waiting upon His Majestie, according to His Com­mand, and therefore would have been much offended if the Prince had failed of meeting His Majestie, according to His appointment.

3. To the Fears and Iealousies, His Majestie knows not what An­swer to give, not being able to ima­gine from what grounds they pro­ceed. But if any Information have been given to that purpose, His Ma­jestie much desires that the same may be examined to the botome, and then He hopes that their Fears and Iealousies will be hereaster continued onely with Reference to His Majesties Rights and Ho­nour.

His Majesties Answer to both Houses concerning the MILITIA.

HIs Majesty having with His best care and understanding perused and consi­dered that which was sent Him from both Houses for the ordering of the Militia, presented unto Him to be made an Ordinance of Parliament, by the giving of His Royall assent; as He can by no means do it, for the reasons hereaf­ter mentioned, so He doth not con­ceive Himself oblieged by any pro­mise made in His Answer of the se­cond of this moneth, to the Petiti­on [Page 6] of both Houses to yeeld to the same.

His Majestie finds great cause to except against the Preface or Intro­duction to that Order, which con­fesseth a most dangerous and despe­rate Designe upon the House of Commons, of late, supposed to be an effect of the bloody Counsels of Papists, and other ill-affected per­sons; by which many may under­stand (looking upon other printed Papers to that purpose) His coming in Person to the House of Com­mons, on the fourth day of Ianu­ary, which begot so unhappy a mis­understanding between Him and His people: And for that, though He beleeves it, upon, the Informa­tion since given Him, to be an ap­parant breach of their Priviledge, and hath offered, and is ready to re­pair the same for the future, by any Act shall be desired of His Ma­jestie; Yet He must declare and re­quire [Page 7] to be beleeved, That He had no other Designe upon that House, or any Member of it, then to require (as He did) the persons of those five Gentlemen His Majesty had the day before ac­cused of high Treason, And to de­clare that He meant to proceed against them legally, and speedily; upon which He beleeved that House would have delivered them up; And His Majestie calls the Almightie God to witnesse, that He was so far from any intention or thought of force or violence, although that House had not delivered them ac­cording to His Demand, or in any Case whatsoever, That he gave those His servants and others (who then waited on His Majesty) expresse Charge and Command, that they should give no offence to any man; Nay if they received any provocati­on or injury, that they should bear it without Return. And His Majesty [Page 8] neither saw or knew that any person of His Train had any other wea­pons, but His Pensioners & Guard, those with which they usually attend His Person to Parliament, and the other Gentlemen Swords. And therefore His Majestie doubts not, but His Parliament wil be soregard­full of His Honor herin, that He shall not undergo any imputation by the rash or indiscreet expressions of any young men then in His Train, or by any desperate words uttered by others, who might mingle with them without His Consent or appro­bation.

For the persons nominated to be Lieutenants of the severall Coun­ties of England and Wales, His Maje­stie is contented to allow that Re­commendation, onely concerning the Citie of London and such other Corporations as by ancient Char­ters have granted unto them the power of the Militia, His Majestie [Page 9] doth not conceive that it can stand with Iustice or Policie to alter their Government in that particular; And His Majestie is willing forthwith to grant every of them (that of London and those other Corporations except­ed) such Commissions as He hath done this Parliament to some Lord Lieutenants by your advice. But if that power be not thought enough, but that more shall be thought fit to he granted to these persons named, then by the Law is in the Crown it self, His Majestie holds it reasonable, that the [...] be by some Law first vested in Him, with power to transfer it to these persons, which He will willingly do; And what ever that power shall be, to avoid all [...] doubts and questions, His Majestie desires it may be digested into an Act of Par­liament rather then an Ordinance, so that an His loving Subjects may thereby particularly know, [Page 10] both what they are to do and what they are to suffer for their neglect, that there be the least Latitude for His good Subjects to suffer under any arbitrary power whatsoever.

As to the time desired for the con­tinuance of the powers to be grant­ed, His Majestie giveth this Answer, That He cannot consent to devest Himself of the just power which God and the Laws of this Kingdom have placed in Him for the defence of His people, and to put it into the hands of others for any inde­finite time. And since the ground of this Request from His Parli­ment was to secure their present fears and jealousies, that they might with safety apply them­selves to the matter of His Message of the 20. of Ianuary, His Majestie hopeth that His Grace to them since that time in yeelding to so many of their desires, and in agreeing to the Persons now recommended to Him [Page 11] by His Parliament, and the power before expressed to be placed in them, will wholly dispell those Fears and Iealousies, and assureth them that as His Majestie hath now applied this unusuall remedy to their doubts, so (if there shall be cause) He will continue the same to such time as shall be agreeable to the same care He now expresseth towards them.

And in this Answer, His Majestie is so far from receding from any thing He promised, or intended to grant in His Answer to the former Petition, that His Majestie hath hereby consented to all was then asked of Him by that Petition con­cerning the Militia of the King­dom (except that of London, and those other Corporations) which was to put the same into the hands of such persons as should be recom­mended unto Him by both Houses of Parliament: And His Majestie [Page 12] doubts not, but the Parliament, upon well weighing the particu­lars of this His Answer, will finde the [...] more satisfactory to their ends, and the peace and wel­fare of all His good Subjects, then the way proposed by this intend­ed Ordinance, to which, for these Reasons, His Majestie cannot con­sent.

And whereas His Majestie ob­serves by the Petition of both Hou­ses, presented unto Him by the Earl of Portland, Sir Thomas Healt, & Sir William S [...]ile, That in some peaces, some persons begin already to inter­meddle of themselves with the Mi­litia, His Majestie expecteth that His Parliament should examine the particulars thereof, it being a mat­ter of high [...], and very great conseq [...]ce.

And His Majestie requireth, that if it shall appear to His Parliament, [Page 13] that any persons whatsoever have presumed to command the Militia without lawfull Authoritie, they may be proceeded against according to Law.

FINIS.

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