To the KINGS most Excellent MAJESTIE The humble Petition of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament.
May it please Your Majestie,
YOur Majesties most loyall Subjects, the Lords and Commons in Parliament cannot conceive that the Declaration which Your Majestie received from us at New-market, was such as did deserve that censure Your Majestie was pleased to lay upon us in that Speech which Your Majestie made to our Committees there, and sent in writing to both Houses; Our addresse therein being accompanied with Plainnesse, Humility, and Faithfulnesse, we thought more [...]roper for the removing the distraction of the Kingdom, then if we had then proceeded according to Your Majesties Message of the 20th of Ianuary, by which Your Majest [...]e was pleas [...]d to desire, That we would declare what we intended to do for Your Majestie, and what we expected to be done for our selves; in both which we have been very much hindred by Your Majesties deniall to secure us and the whole Kingdom, by disposing the Militia, as we had divers times most humbly Petiti [...]ned: And yet we have not bin altogether negligent of either, having lately made good proceedings in preparing a cook of rates to be passed in a Bill of Tonnage [Page 2]and Poundage; and likewise the most materiall Heads of those humble desires which we intended to make to Your Majestie for the good and contentment of Your Majestie and Your people; but none of these could be perfected before the Kingdom be put into safety, by setling the Militia: And untill Your Majestie shall be pleased to concur with your Parliament in these necessary things, we hold it impossible for you to give the world, or Your people such satisfaction concerning the Fears and Jealousies which we have expressed, as we hope your Majestie hath already received touching that exception which You were pleased to take to Master Pyms Speech.
As for Your Majesties Fears and doubts, the ground whereof is from Seditious Pamphlets and Sermons, we shall be as carefull to endeavour the removall assoon as we shall understand what Pamphlets and Sermons are by Your Majestie intended, as we have been to prevent all dangerous Tumults: And [...]f any extraordinary concourse of people out of the Citie to Westminster had the face and shew of Tumult and danger in Your Majesties apprehension, it will appear to be caused by Your Majesties deniall of such a guard to Your Parliament as they might have cause to confide in; And by taking into White-hall such a guard for Your self as gave just cause of Jealousie to the Parliament, and of terrour and offence to Your People. We seek nothing but Your Majesties Honour, and the peace and prosperitie of Your Kingdoms; And we are heartily sorry we have such plentifull matter of an answer to that question, Whether you had violated our Laws.
We beseech your Majestie to remember, that the Government of this Kingdom, as it was in a great part mannaged by Your Ministers before the beginning of this Parliament, consisted of many continued and multiplied [Page 3]acts of violation of Laws, the wounds whereof were scarcely healed, when the extremitie of all these violations was far exceeded by the late strange and unheard of breach of our Laws in the accusation of the Lord Kymbolton, and the five Members of the Commons-house, and in the proceedings thereupon, for which we have yet received no ful [...] satisfaction.
To Your Majesties next Question, Whether You had denied any Bill for the ease and securitie of Your Subjects, We wish we could stop in the midst of our answer, that with much thankfulnesse we acknowledge that Your Majestie hath past many good Bils full of contentment, and advantage to Your People; But truth and necessitie inforceth us to adde this, That even in or about the time of passing those Bils, some design or other hath been on foot, which if it had taken effect, would not onely have deprived us of the fruit of those Bills, but have reduced us to a worse condition of confusion then that wherein the Parliament found us.
And if Your Majestie had asked us the third question intimated in that Speech, What we had done for Your Self, our Answer would have been much more easie, That we have paid two Armies, wherewith the Kingdom was burthened last yeer; And have undergone the charge of the War in Ireland at this time, when through many other excessive charges and Pressures, whereby Your Subjects have been exhausted, and the stock of the Kingdom very much diminished: Which great mischiefs, and the charges thereupon ensuing, have been occasioned by the evill counsels so powerfull with Your Majestie, which have, and will cost this Kingdom more then two Millions: All which in Justice ought to have been born by Your Majestie.
As for that free and generall Pardon Your Majestie [Page 4]hath been pleased to offer, it can be no security to our Fears and Jealousies, for which Your Majestie seems to propound it, because they arise not from any guilt of our own Actions, but from the evill Designes and Attempts of others.
To this our humble Answer to that Speech, we desire to adde an Information which we lately received from the Deputy Governour of the Merchant Adventurers at Rotterdam in Holland, That an unknown person p [...]r [...]aining to the Lord Digby, did lately solicite one Iames Henley a Mariner to go to Elsenore, and to take charge of a Ship in the Fleet of the King of Denmark there prepared, which he should conduct to Hull: In which Fleet likewise, he said a great Army was to be transported. And although we are not apt to give credit to Informations of this nature, yet we cannot altogether think it fit to be neglected, but that it may justly adde somewhat to the weight of our Fears and Jealousies, co sidering with what circumstances it is accompanied, Of the Lord Digbies preceding Expressions in his letter to Her Majestie, and Sir Lewis Dives, And Your Majesties succeeding course of withdrawing Your Self Northward from Your Parliament, in a manner very sutable, and correspondent to that evil Counsell.
Which we doubt will make much deeper impression in the generality of Your People; And therefore we most humbly advise and beseech Your Maj [...]stie for the procuring and setling the confidence of Your Parliament, and all Your Subjects, and for the other important reasons, concerning the recovery of Ireland, and securing this Kingdom, which have been formerly presented to Your Majestie, You will be graci [...]usly pleased (with all convenient speed) to return to these parts, and to close with the Counsell and [Page 5]desire of Your Parliament, where You shall finde their dutifull affections, and endeavours ready to attend Your Majestie with such entertainment, as shall not onely give Your Majestie just cause of security in their faithfulnesse, but other man fold evidences of their earnest intentions and endeavours to advance Your Majesties Service, Honour and contentment, and to e [...]ablish it upon the sure foundation of the Peace and Prosperity of all Your Kingdoms.
His Majesties Answer To the Petition of both Houses of PARLIAMENT, Presented to Him at YORK on Saturday the 26th of March, 1642. by the Lord Willoughby, Lord Dungarvan, and Sir Anthony Irby.
IF you would have had the patience to have expected Our Answer to your last Declaration (which, considering the nature of it, hath not been long in coming) We beleeve you would have saved your selves the labour of saying much of this Message. And We could wish that Our Priviledges on all parts were so Stated, that this way of Correspondencie [Page 7]might be preserved with that Freedom which hath been used of old: For We must tell you, that if you may ask any thing of Us by Message or petition, and in what language (how unusuall scever) you think fit, & We must neither deny the thing you ask, nor give a reason why we cannot grant it, without being taxed of breaking your Priviledges, or being counselled by those who are enemies to the Peace of the Kingdom, and favourers of the Irish Rebellion (for we have seen your Printed Votes upon Our Message from Huntington) you will reduce all Our Answers hereafter into a very little room. In plain english, It is to take away the Freedome of Our Vote, which, were we but a Subject, were High injustice; but being your King, we leave all the world to judge what it is.
Is this the way to compose all misunderstandings? We thought we shewed you one by Our Message of the 20th of January, if you have a better or [...]adier, we shall willingly hearken to it, for hitherto you have shewed us none. But why the refusall to consent to your order, (which you call a deniall of the Militia) should be any interruption to it, we cannot understand. For the Militia (which we alwaies thought necessary to be setled) we never denied the thing (as we told you in Our Answer of the 28th of January, to the petition of the House of [Page 9]Commons, for We accepted the persons, (except for Corporations) We onely denied the way. You ask it by way of Ordinance, and with such a preface as We can neither with Iustice to Our Honour, or innocency consent to: You exclude Vs for any Power in the disposition or execution of it, together with you, and for a time utterly unlimited. We tell you we would have the thing done; Allow the persons (with that exception;) Desire a Bill (the onely good old way of imposing on Our Subjects.) We are extreamly unsatified what an Ordinance is, but well satisfied, that without Our Consent it is nothing, not binding: And it is evident by the long time spent in this argument, the necessity and danger was not so imminent, but a Bill might have well been prepared, which if it shall yet be done with that due regard to Vs, and care of Our People, in the limitation of the power and other circumstances, we shall recede from nothing we formerly expressed in that Answer to your Order, otherwise we must declare to all the world, That we are nothing satisfied with, or shall ever allow Our Subjects to be bound by your printed Votes of the fifteenth or sixteenth of this moneth, or that under pretence of declaring what the Law of the Land is, you shall (without Vs) make a new Law, which is plainly the case of the Militia: And [Page 10]what is this but to introduce an Arbitrary way of Government?
Concerning Pyms Speech, you will have found by what the Lord Compton, and Mr Baynton brought from Vs, in answer to that Message they brought to Vs, that as yet we rest nothing satisfied in that particular.
As for the seditious Pamphlets and Sirmons, we are both sorry and ashamed in so great a variety, and in which Our Rights, Honour and Authority are so insolently slighted and vilified, and in which the Dignitie and Freedome of Parliament is so much invaded and violated, it should be asked of Vs to name any; the mentioning of the Protestation protested, the Apprentices Protestation, To your Tents, O Israel, or any other, would be too great an excuse for the rest. If you think them not worth the inquiry, We have done. But We think it most strange, to be told, That Our deniall of a Guard (which We yet never denied, but granted in another manner, and under a Command at that time, most accustomed in the Kingdome) or the deniall of any thing else (which is in Our power legally to deny) which in Our understanding (of which God hath surely given Vs some use) is not fit to be granted, should be any excuse for so dangerous concourse of people, which not onely in Our apprehension, but (we beleeve) in the interpretation [Page 10]of Law it self, hath been alwayes held most tumultuous and seditious. And we must wonder, what, and whence comes the Instructions and Informations that those people have, who can so easily think themselves obliged by the Protestation to assemble in such a manner, for the defence of Priviledges, which cannot be so clearly known to any of them, and so negligently passe over the consideration, and defence of Our Rights (so beneficiall and necessarie for themselves, and scarce unknown to any of them) which by their Oathes of Allegiance and Supremacie (and even by the same Protestation) they are at least equally obliged to defend. And what interruptions such kinde of Assemblies may be to the freedom of future parliaments (if not seasonably discountenanced and suppressed) we must advise you to consider, as likewise whether both Our powers may not by such meanes by usurped, by hands not trusted by the Constitution of this Kingdom. For Our Guard, we referre you to Our Answer to your Declaration.
By that Question of Violating your Lawes; by which we endeavoured to expresse Our care and resolution to observe them; we did not expect you would have been invited to have looked back so many yeers, for which you have had so ample Reparation; Neither looked we to be reproached [Page 11]with the Actions of our Ministers (then against the Lawes) whilest we expresse so great a zeal for the present defence of them, it being Our Resolution, upon observation of the mischief which then grew by Arbitrary power (though made plausible to Vs by the suggestions of necessity and imminent danger, and take you heed ye fall not into the same errour upon the same suggestions) hereafter to keep the Rule Our self, and to Our power require the same from all others. But above all, we must be most sensible of what you cast upon Vs for requitall of those good Bills you cannot denie. We have denied any such Designe, and as God Almighty must judge in that point between Vs, who knowes Our upright intentions at the passing those Lawes: So in the mean time we defy the Devill to prove that there was any Designe (with Our knowledge or Privity) in or about the time of passing those Bils, that had it taken effect could have deprived Our Subjects of the fruit of them: And therfore we demand full Reparation in this point, that we may be cleared in the sight of all the world, and chiefly in the eyes of Our loving Subjects, from so notorious and false an imputation as this is.
We are far from denying what you have done. For we acknowledge the charge Our People have sustained in keeping the two [Page 13]Armies, and in relieving Ireland, of which we are so sensible, that in regard of those great Burthens Our People have undergone, we have and do patiently suffer those extream personall wants, as Our Predecessours have been seldom put to, rather then we would presse upon them: which we hope (in time) will be considered on your parts.
In Our offer of a Generall Pardon, Our intent was to compose and secure the generall condition of Our Subjects, conceiving that in these times of great Distractions the good Lawes of the Land have not been enough observed; But it is a strange world when Princes proffered Favors are counted Reproaches: yet, if you like not this Our offer, we have done.
Concerning any discourses of Forreign Forces (though we have given you a full Answer in Ours to your last Declaration, yet) we must tell you, we have neither so ill an opinion of Our own merit, or the Affections of Our good Subjects, as to think Our self in need of any Forreign Force to preserve Vs from Oppression (and we shall not need for any other purpose) but are confident (through Gods providence) not to want the good wishes and assistance of the whole Kingdome, being resolved to build upon that sure Foundation, the Law of the Land. And we take it very ill that any [Page 14]generall Discourses betweene an unknown Person and a Mariner, or inferences upon Letters should be able to prevail in matters so improbable in themselves, and scandalous to Vs, for which We cannot but likewise ask Reparation, not onely for the vindicating of Our Own Honour, but also thereby to settle the mindes of Our Subjects, whose Feares and Iealousies would soon vanish, were they not fed and maintained by such false and malicious Rumours as these.
For Our return to Our Parliament, We have given you a full Answer in Ours to your Declaration, and you ought to look on Vs as not gone but driven (We say not by you, yet) from you. And if it be not so easie for you to make Our residence in London so safe as We could desire, We are, and will be contented that Our Parliament be adjourned to such a place, where We may be fitly and safely with you. For (though we are not pleased to be at this distance, yet) ye are not to expect Our Presence, Vntill ye shall both secure Vs concerning Our just apprehensions of Tumultuary Insolencies, and likewise give Vs satisfaction for those Insupportable and Insolent Scandals that are raised upon Vs.
To conclude, As We have or shall not Refuse any way agreeable to Iustice or Honour, which shalbe offered to Vs for the [Page 14]begetting a right understanding between Vs: So we are Resolved, that no straits or necessities (to which we may be driven) shall ever compell Vs to do that, which the Reason and understanding that God hath given Vs, and Our Own Honour and Interest, with which God hath trusted Vs for the good of Our Posterity and Kingdoms, shall render unpleasant and grievous unto Vs.
And we assure you that (how meanly soever you are pleased to value the discharge of Our publike dutie) we are so Conscious to Our self of having done Our part, since this Parliament, that (in whatsoever condition we now stand) we are confident of the continued Protection from Almighty God, and the constant gratitude, obedience, and affection from Our people: And we shall trust God with all.
FINIS.