THis Honourable House, Is composed of divers pro­fessions, And every one of us, according to the ex­perience his profession hath learned him, is bound to deliver, what in conscience he shall thinke need­full, for the glorie of God and the good of the Kingdome, which is a service here, wherein I haue been a daily witnesse of other mens painfulnes. The worthinesse of the example requireth me not to be silent, and I would to God a Souldier had lesse occasion to speak in this place, where the businesse of war, is become so great a Stranger, that but for our neigh­bours (whose houses are on fire) we should utterly forget it: by the light of those fires, we may see our dangers and be ad­vised to provide against them, which is the point I would now speake upon. The defence of Religion, and the safetie of the Land, are the things in danger. For though we enjoy them by reason of the peace we enjoy, yet it is a peace of such nature, as cannot assure them unto us, because no peace is able to maintaine it selfe unarmed. We are then to consider on the one side, who is the Enemy we are to provide against, how great our danger is, and how neere it is. On the other­side, what defence we stand in neede of, and when we are to provide it. First, who is the greatest Enemy we haue in re­spect of our Religion. The Catholike King is evident, by the protection he giveth our Papists and traytors, and by his nourishing the Seminaries and Iesuites of our Nation.

2. Who is the gratest enemy we haue, in respect of the [Page 2] State. It followeth the Catholike King, whose ambition, it hath ever been through the sides of Religion to thrust at the heart of the State, his Title of Catholike King, reflecting more upon universall Monarchy, then greatnesse of religion. That it hath been his ambition to create himselfe Monarch of the world, his consultations, & designes have given cleare testimonie, and under pretence of Religion, he colours his quarrell for it. So that England is not onely a part compre­hended in his ambition, but the chiefe marke of his offence, because in respect both of Religion and State, England is the greatest impediment in his way. But some will imagine (it may be) that this ambition he had to the Monarchy of the whole world, is a good while agoe dead in his mind; I assure my selfe, it never dyed, somewhat indeed the action and storme of it was laid in the beginning of his truce with the States; but if ever it were dead, there is nothing more cer­taine, then that now it is renued againe to more life then e­ver it had; which if it please the honour and wisdome of this house to give me the hearing, I will manifest vnto them. The successe of the house of Austria in Germany hath in­couraged them, and raised a new spirit of ambition in them. It hath crowned them with a new reputation, & a great one. It calleth upon them to follow their good fortune, which they haue these promises for. Their footing in the Palatine, for the displanting of a whole Countrey of our religion. The weaknesse of the Princes of the Vnion which is discovered, to be such in their last cold actions, (that we may truly say) what doth remaine unlost of Germany which was never lost before, doth hold but vpon courtesie, Then the passages that these successes, do offer to open him downe into the Vnited Provinces, in the body of which state they haue a faction now a working, the sect of the Arminians, which is another thing that animateth them. Out of the Low Countries they cannot but looke into England which will carry all the rest. The King of Spaine having now the aduantage in Italy to make himselfe the master of it by his forts he hath raised in Voltolina, for the blocking up of almost all Italy, specially the [Page 3] ancient common wealth of Venice, our intire friends. And lastly the dangers, the house of Austria and the Church of Rome haue been in, and the hopes they are now in, will be still pricking them forwards to follow their good fortune. These things considered, who can so flatter himselfe to im­agine, that the catholique Kings ambition, to the Monarchy of the whole world is dead, thus great an Enemy we haue, and thus affected, and yet we are unarmed. Now then that we may know the enemy we haue to provide against, Let us consider how great our danger is, in that which I haue spo­ken already: The greatest of it is mainely understood, yet to understand it the better, we are to looke on those of the Re­ligion in France, who were never so dangerously threatned as now, nor had euer such cause to quake, in so much as did they not hope of reliefe out of this Kingdome, I think they would yeeld presently to mercie, and how can we relieve our neighbours that are in no able disposition to uphold our selves. Againe to understand our danger the better, now we haue weighed the condition and State of friends and ene­mies abroad, Let us examine how it stand with us here at home, how many Papists live here amongst us, that under the Church cause, carrie evill mindes to the State, to their owne native Countrey, and could be willing to see it bleed to death, at the foote of a stranger, at the foote of the King of Spaine, so farre doe the papists of our nation differ from others. For such faithfull servants are ours to that forreine Prince, as that they will not onely hold arguments against the Majestie of their owne King, and his children, and raile more then any of our best neighbours and friends, but will spend their study & venture their lives, to make the Spanish King the Monarch of Christendome, so wel they haue profited under their Masters the Iesuites, those faithfull Counsellers of Spaine, & at this very houre, (I assure my selfe) the successe in Germany is their present object, & the good they promise themselves by it, their object in future, even very now they are discoursing of it, and growing proud in the destruction it threatens us withall: the houses of Parliament where we [Page 4] do now sit, do beare record against them, in that unmatch­able treason, the powder plot, thus great our danger is, and yet we are unarmed, and that is our greatest danger.

The third thing we are to consider in the danger, is how neere it is unto us, for although we heare the Spaniard is as farre from us as the Palatine, yet if we will take the distance, either by the scale of State or Warre, we must judge our dan­ger, not much further from us then our sea coasts. In our profession of armes its a principle, that if the Counter scarfe be gained, though it be beyond the ditch the whole fortifi­cation is accounted lost. For the Rampier serves but for a de­fence to make a composition, so that if you will be content to loose the Counter scarfe, then you must thinke of nothing but a composition. And with whom will you think to com­pound, with an enemy that will keep good quarter? no, with one that will keepe the same quarter, the woolfe doth with the lambe. If you will do as no good souldier ever did, that is, suffer your enemy to dwell in your out workes, while his friendes among us, are expecting of him within, and never look to arme and defend your selves, its best for you to yeeld betimes, For yeelding is like to prove the best of the successe: but if you haue no beliefe in that kinde of security, let us doe as the Israelites did, pray and treate with our swordes in our hands, for England that hath bin at the least 4. times conque­red, was never in more danger then it is at this present, thus great, yea thus neere our danger is, & yet we are unarmmed.

Now for the defence we stand in need of, we are to consider the oppression of his Maiesties Issue, that we are bound in honour & safetie to redeeme them out of it, and if we are to look to defence of our own country against invasion, which England was never subiect to for want of number, but for want of military strength and order. For the warres abroad, ther is required a great Army, for the defence at home a more sufficient and better discipline, & a more sincere execution of lawes against the Papists. The first touching the redeeming of the Pallet. is first to be resolved on, which brings me now to the consideration of our danger, when we are to prouide a­gainst [Page 5] it, I pray God it be not too late, you may understand by that prayer my opinion, when we are to provide against it is now instantly; Let us loose no time, not a day, not an houre not a minute. The season of the yeare requireth it, for if we loose the season, which is to be ready with a royall Army, a­gainst the beginning of the spring, and so suffer the Spanish side to go on this yeare as did the last, you cannot conceive how it will be in the power of man to keep him from the ab­solute height of his ambition. Let us not treat with him, but as I said before with our sword in our hands, his treaties o­therwise are ominous. Let us all fall down upon our knees, with a communion of minde to God for his presence among us, and then immediately fal into consultation for the speedy preparing of mony, armes, munition, and good hearts for the defence of Religion, his Maiestie, his children, and the safety of the Common-wealth, For the providing, whereof mony is the first material, but it hath bin suggested by some, that the hearing of the subiects grievances, and the redressing of them was the first busines of Parliaments, admit it to be so. For the same reason then a subsidie is the first thing at this Parlia­ment to be enacted, for the present necessitie of defending of the Kingdome is the publike grievance of the whole Com­mon-wealth, all other are but particular and priuate grievan­ces in respect of this, and this cannot be redressed without a subsidie, and that freely and presently granted. Other matters for the most part do concern but some of them one member, and some another of the Common-wealth, and may haue more time to deliberate on: but this concernes the whole Land, we are all ingaged in it for our selves, and for our poste­ritie, and it cannot admit or any delay, for it is our own cause as well as the Kings, and the thing we should rather offer, then be sought unto for, seeing it will be money layd out in our extreame necessitie, for our owne safeties, if we neglect this, we shall in effect be as bad as our enemies instru­ments, and so offer all the rest of our labours to peril. From which God of his mercie defend vs.