IT was with exceeding great trouble, that We were brought to the Dissolving of the Two last Parliaments, without more benefit to Our People by the Calling of them: But having done Our part, in giving so ma­ny opportunities of providing for their Good, it cannot be justly imputed to Us, that the Success hath not answered Our Expectation.

We cannot at this time but take notice of the particular Causes of Our Dissatisfaction, which at the beginning of the last Parliament, We did re­commend to their care to avoid, and expected We should have had no new Cause to remember them.

[Page 4] We Open'd the last Parliament which was held at Westminster, with as Gracious Expressions of Our readiness to satisfie the Desires of Our Good Sub­jects, and to secure them against all their just Fears, as the weighty Consideration, either of preserving the Establish'd Religion, and the Liberty and Pro­perty of Our Subjects at home, or of Supporting Our Neighbours and Allyes abroad, could fill Our heart with, or possibly require from Us.

And We do solemnly Declare, That We did intend, as far as would have consisted with the ve­ry Being of the Government, to have Comply'd with any thing, that could have been propos'd to Us to accomplish those Ends.

We ask'd of them the Supporting the Alliances We had made for the preservation of the General Peace in Christendom; We recommended to them the further Examination of the Plot; We desir'd their advice and assistance concerning the preser­vation of Tanger; We offer'd to concur in any Re­medies that could be proposed for the Security of the Protestant Religion, that might consist with pre­serving the Succession of the Crown, in its due and legal Course of Descent; to all which We met with most unsuitable Returns from the House of Com­mons: Addresses, in the nature of Remonstrances, rather than of Answers; Arbitrary Orders for ta­king Our Subjects into Custody, for Matters that had no relation to Priviledges of Parliament; Strange illegal Votes, declaring divers eminent Persons to be enemies to the King and Kingdom, without any Order or Process of Law, any hearing of their Defence, or any Proof so much as offer'd against them.

[Page 5] Besides these Proceedings, they voted as follow­eth on the 7 ^th of January last;

Resolved, That whosoever shall Lend or cause to be Lent by way of Advance, any Money upon the Branches of the Kings Revenue, arising by Customs, Excise, or Hearth­money, shall be adjudged to hinder the Sitting of Parliaments, and shall be responsible for the same in Parliament.

Resolved, That whosoever shall buy any Tally of An­ticipation upon any part of the King's Revenue, or who­soever shall pay any such Tally hereafter to be struck, shall be adjudged to hinder the Sitting of Parliaments, and shall be responsible for the same in Parliament.

Which Votes, instead of giving Us Assistance to support Our Allyes, or enable Us to preserve Tan­ger, tended rather to disable Us from Contributing towards either, by Our Own Revenue or Credit; not onely exposing Us to all Dangers that might happen either at home, or abroad; but endea­vouring to deprive Us of the Possibility of Sup­porting the Government it self, and to reduce Us to a more helpless Condition then the meanest of Our Subjects.

And on the 10 ^th of the same Month they past another Vote, in these words,

Resolved, That it is the Opinion of this House, That the Prosecution of Protestant Dissenters upon the Penal Laws, is at this time grievous to the Subject, a weakening of the Protestant Interest, an Encouragement to Popery, and dangerous to the Peace of the Kingdom.

[Page 6] By which Vote, without any regard to the Laws establish'd, they assumed to themselves a Power of Suspending Acts of Parliament; whereas Our Judges and Ministers of Justice nei­ther can, nor ought; in reverence to the Votes of either or both the Houses, break the Oathes they have taken, for the due and impartial Execution of Our Laws; which by Experience have been found to be the best Support, both of the Prote­stant Interest, and of the Peace of the Kingdom.

These were some of the unwarrantable Pro­ceedings of that House of Commons, which were the occasion of Our parting with that Parliament.

Which We had no sooner Dissolv'd, but We caus'd another to be forthwith Assembled at Ox­ford; at the Opening of which, We thought it ne­cessary to give Them warning of the Errors of the former, in hopes to have prevented the like Mis­carriages; and We requir'd of Them to make the Laws of the Land their Rule, as We did, and do resolve, they shall be Ours: We further added, That what We had formerly and so often De­clared concerning the Succession, We could not depart from: But to remove all reasonable Fears that might arise from the Possibility of a Popish Successor's coming to the Crown, if Means could be found, that in such a Case, the Administration of the Government might remain in Protestant Hands, We were ready to hearken to any Expe­dient, by which the Religion Establish'd might be Preserv'd, and the Monarchy not Destroy'd.

But contrary to Our Offers and Expectation, We saw, that no Expedient would be enter­tain'd but that of a total Exclusion, which We [Page 7] had so often declar'd, was a Point, that in Our Own Royal Judgment, so nearly concern'd Us both in Honour, Justice, and Conscience, that We could never consent to it: In short, We cannot, after the sad Experience We have had of the late Civil Wars, that Murder'd Our Father of Blessed Memory, and ruin'd the Monarchy, consent to a Law, that shall establish another most Unnatural War, or at least make it necessary to maintain a Standing Force for the Preserving the Government and the Peace of the Kingdom.

And We have reason to believe, by what pass'd in the last Parliament at Westminster, that if We could have been brought to give Our Consent to a Bill of Exclusion, the Intent was not to rest there, but to pass further, and to attempt some other Great and Important Changes even in Present.

The Business of Fitz-Harris, who was Impeach'd by the House of Commons of High Treason, and by the House of Lords referr'd to the ordinary Course of Law, was on the sudden carried on to that extremity, by the Votes which the Commons pass'd on the 26 ^th of March last, that there was no possibility left of a Reconciliation.

The Votes were these,

It was a Matter extremely sensible to Us, to find an Impeachment made use of to delay a Tryal, that We had directed against a profess'd Papist, charg'd with Treasons against Us of an extraordi­nary Nature: And certainly the House of Peers did themselves Right in refusing to give counte­nance to such a Proceeding.

But when either of the Houses are so far tran­sported, as to Vote the Proceedings of the other to be a Denial of Justice, a Violation of the Constitu­tion of Parliaments, of Danger to Our Person and the Protestant Religon, without Conferences first had to examine upon what Grounds such Proceed­ings were made, and how far they might be justi­fied; This puts the two Houses out of capacity of transacting business together, and consequently is [Page 9] the greatest Violation of the Constitution of Parlia­ments.

This was the Case, and every day's continuance being like to produce new Instances of further Heat and Anger between the two Houses, to the disappointment of all Publick Ends, for which they were Call'd, We found it necessary to put an end to this Parliament likewise.

But notwithstanding all this, let not the restless Malice of ill Men, who are labouring to poyson Our People, some out of fondness of their Old Beloved Commonwealth-Principles, and some out of anger at their being disappointed in the particu­lar Designs they had for the accomplishment of their own Ambition and Greatness, perswade any of Our Good Subjects, that We intend to lay aside the use of Parliaments: For We do still Declare, That no Irregularities in Parliaments, shall ever make Us out of Love with Parliaments, which We look upon as the best Method for healing the Distempers of the Kingdom, and the onely Means to preserve the Monarchy in that due Credit and Respect which it ought to have both at home and abroad.

And for this Cause We are Resolved, by the Blessing of God, to have frequent Parliaments; and both in and out of Parliament, to use Our utmost Endeavours to extirpate Popery, and to Redress all the Grievances of Our good Subjects, and in all things to Govern according to the Laws of the Kingdom.

And We hope that a little time will so far open the Eyes of all Our good Subjects, that Our next [Page 10] meeting in Parliament, shall perfect all that Set­tlement and Peace which shall be found wanting either in Church or State.

To which, as We shall Contribute Our ut­most Endeavours, so We assure Our Self, That We shall be Assisted therein by the Loyalty and good Affections of all those who consider the Rise and Progress of the late Troubles and Confusions, and desire to preserve their Countrey from a Relapse.

And who cannot but remember, That Religion, Liberty and Property were all lost and gone, when the Monarchy was shaken off, and could ne­ver be reviv'd till that was restored.

Given at Our Court at Whitehall the Eighth day of April 1681.