THE SPEECH Of His Excellency Henry Lord Viscount SYDNEY, Lord Lieutenant of IRELAND, To Both Houses of Parliament Assembled at DƲBLIN. October 5. 1692.
I Received Their Majesties Commands, immediatly upon my Arrival, to call this Parliament, as the greatest Demonstration Their Majesties could give of Their Affection to you, who, after having suffered so many great Oppressions, during the late Revolution, almost to an utter Desolation of the Country, can no way be so well restored to any degree of Settlement, as by a Parliament thus legally Constituted and Assembled, which I must observe is a Blessing that for many Years you have been depriv'd of, whereby the English Interest has been exposed to apparent Danger of losing, not only their Religion, but all that Property which with so great Expence of Blood and Treasure they had purchased.
This Priviledge of Meeting in Parliament, being thus restored by Their Majesties great Goodness, it cannot be doubted but you will make use of it to pass such Laws, as now are, or hereafter shall be, transmitted to you, as may tend to the firm Settlement of this Country upon a Protestant Interest.
The King is so much the more intent upon this great work, having been here Himself a Witness, with great Compassion, of the Miseries you were all involv'd in, when another Party prevailed, and you may therefore easily imagine, it will be a more than ordinary Satisfaction to His Majesty to see this Kingdom once again established in Peace and Prosperity, because, by his Personal Valour and Conduct, He had so Great and Glorious a Part in Relieving you from the Calamities under which you then laboured: And Their Majesties being in their own Royal Judgments, satisfied, that a Countrey so fertile by Nature, and so advantageously scituated for Trade and Navigation, can want nothing but the Blessing of a Peace, and the help of some good Laws, to make it as Rich and Flourishing [Page 2] as most of it's Neighbours: They hope for the first from the Hand of GOD, the Author and Giver of all Blessings, the other they expect from the wise, sober, and calm Determinations of your own Counsels, which being what depends so much on your selves, Their Majesties cannot think, that either They, or you, will be disappointed in it, especially since I am ordered to assure you, there shall be nothing wa [...]ing upon▪ There parts, that m [...]y contribute to your Perfect and Lasting Happ [...]ess; for the mo [...] effectual Accomplishment whereof, I am particularly commanded to put you in mind of the Duty we all owe t [...] GOD Almighty, whose constant and religious Worship, Their Majesties recommend to be daily carried on, both by your Care and Example, with all Piety and Devotion in all Decency and Order.
His Majesty has tha [...] entire Confidence in your Loyalty and Dutiful Affection, and of the grateful Sence you have of what He has done for you, that he cannot doubt of your Assistance in what shall be necessary for His Service, and your own Security, and it's upon that Assurance, that He has commanded me to acquainty you that the [...]resent established Re [...]enue of this Kingdom is not sufficient to de [...]ray [...]he Expe [...]ce of such [...]n Army as must be kept u [...] for the comm [...]n Safety and the o [...]er n [...]essary Charges of the Government. It is very gre [...] troubl [...] to His Majesty, that the Necessity of His Affairs compels him to recommend this to your Consideration, and to ask for a Supply, at a Time when the Kingdom is in so low a Condition, and hath suffered so much in the late War, yet the Sum will be so moderate, and the Methods of raising it so easie, that His Majesty cannot doubt of your ready Complyance.
My Lords and Gentlemen.
I Shall trouble you but little at this time concerning my self, whom Their Majesties have thought fit to constitute Their Lieutenant here, hoping it may be better to be known to you by an Equal and Impartial Administration of the Government, than by any Expressions from the Throne, which may seem to have too much of Affectation in them; yet this I will venture to tell you, Th [...] I will use all the Diligence and Application I can to discharge this great Tru [...] Their Majesties have been pleased to repose in me, and shall think my self very happy if by any Pains or Care of mine I may be instrumental to the restoring you to that Peace and Unity, to that Plenty and Wealth, in which I my self have formerly seen you so well established. And as I doubt not of your carrying on Their Majesties Service with that Temper & Moderation as is absolutely necessary to a lasting Settlement, so I do assure you, that your Readiness in Complying with what their Majesties desire shall lose no part of its Duty, or any good Quality that may make it the most acceptable to Their Majesties, in the Representation that I shall faithfully and constantly make of it.
Edinburgh, Re-printed by the Heir of Andrew Anderson, Printer to Their most Excellent Majesties, 1692.