THE SPEECH OF His Grace the Earl of LAUDER­DAILL, His Majesties High-Com­missioner for the Parliament of Scotland.

BY the Authority of the King, and His special Command you are here assembled in His high Court of Parliament. You have heard His royal Intentions under His own hand, with the chief Reasons of His calling you together. You have heard His most gra­cious Expressions of His kindness to His Subjects in this His ancient Kingdom, and His Confidence of you their Representatives; And I shall as shortly as I can acquaint you with what I have further in com­mand from my Master to say in His name at the opening of this His Parliament. And first I am to assure you of His Majesties constant and unalterable Zeal, for maintaining and defending the true refor­med Protestant Religion in this His Kingdom, for which he will constantly lay out His whole Power and Authority, as also for discouraging and punish­ing all Atheism and Profanities, and all that is con­trary [Page 4] to true Religion and Godliness. I am further particularly commanded to assure you, That with no less Zeal and Constancie He will maintain and de­fend the ancient Government by Archbishops and Bishops, as now it is happily settled, as a sure fence for the true reformed Protestant Religion, A Go­vernment most suteable to Monarchy; and well may I call it Ancient, for whoever will look into Anti­quity shall find Episcopal Government hath con­tinued in the whole Catholick Church both East and West, even from the most Primitive and Apo­stolick Times: I shall not insist on the sad Calami­ties and Confusions which the violent and rebellious endeavours to overturn this Government produced in this Kingdom; His Majesties gracious Act of Pardon and Oblivion forbids the ripping up those sores which His own royal hand hath cured, and long may they be buried in Oblivion: Yet sure I am, the reflections on those dismal days ought to raise no less Zeal in the Parliament, and in all good Sub­jects for the maintaining of that Government as now it is happily settled: For, in His Majesties name and by His special command I do assure you, He will employ His utmost power in the maintenance of that Government, and will protect the persons of my Lords the Archbishops and Bishops, and of the Loyal, Orthodox and peaceable Clergy in the exercise of their functions: He will not endure those numerous and unlawfull Conven­ticles which tend to Sedition and Schism, which have been too frequent in some few Shires of this Kingdome: Good Laws have been made; and in prosecution of those Laws, the Lords of His Majesties Privy Council have shown their care for suppressing those seditious Assemblies; Yea, and of late His Majesty has graciously indulged the planting of some who were esteemed peaceable [Page 5] men, in vacant Churches (though they came not up to the rules establisht.) It will be expected that they walk worthy of so great a favour: But if after this removal of the very pretence of unlawful Con­venticles any factious people shall in contempt of His Majesties Laws; yea, and of His indulgence also, seditiously Assemble themselves under pretence of Religious Worship, His Majestie doth Require His Parliament, and all in Authority under Him, vigo­rously to suppress such Meetings, and to bring the pretended Preachers, and the Ring-leaders of such unlawful Assemblies, to condign and exemplary punishment.

In the next Place, I am commanded to let you know, That I am sufficiently Instructed to give His Majesties Royal Assent to such Laws as shall be pre­pared in this Parliament, for the constant Peace and welfare of this Church, and of the Kingdom in all its Relations: But the chief Occasion of calling this Parliament, is the prosecution of that great and glo­rious Design of bringing His Kingdoms of Scotland and England to a stricter and nearer Union. This De­sign was begun by His Royal Grandfather of bles­sed Memory, who went so far on towards this great Work, that in the first year of His Reign over Great Britain, King James named Commissioners for this Kingdom, who by Act of Parliament were authorized to Treat and Consult with Commissio­ners for the Kingdom of England, concerning such an Union: And in pursuance of their Treaty, Acts were made for the Repealing of Hostile Laws, and the utter abolition of all memory of Hostility between the two Nations: And in the Seventh year of His Raign, it was, by the Judges of all the Courts of Westminster-Hall in England, solemnly adjudged, in the Case of the Post-nati, that those who after the Descent of the Crown of England to King [Page 6] James, were born in Scotland, were no Aliens in England, and consequently were capable, not onely of Land, but of all other Immunities, as if they had been born in England, so much was done in King James his time. And the occasi­ons of His Majesties Resolutions to prosecute this great Work, were these, Complaints having been made to His Majesty, That since the 25th day of March, in the Twelfth year of His Reign, new duties were imposed in England, upon divers Commodities of the growth, production, and manufacture of Scotland, and incapacities laid upon the Sub­jects of Scotland: It pleased the King to appoint divers Meetings upon this Matter, though without Success: whereupon the late Parliament of this Kingdom imposed, in their third Session Ann. 1663. great Duties upon the Commodities of the growth, production or manufacture of England, which by His Majesties Command were suspended, and have not been exacted, though the Duties in England still continue; and upon His Majesties recommen­dation to the Parliament of England, an Act was lately made for setling freedom and intercourse of Trade between the two Kingdomes: Whereupon Commissioners were nominated and appointed by His Majesty for both Kingdoms to Treat upon that Affair, who had many Meetings, but produced no effect, unless it were a conviction of the Difficulty, if not impossibility of setling it in any other way, then by a nearer and more compleat Union of the two Kingdoms. His Majesty is fully perswaded that nothing can tend more to the good and secu­rity of both Nations, than such an Union. And find­ing that in His Royal Grandfathers time, so great an advance was made towards this Union, and that the continuance under the same Obedience for near 70. years, having begotten the same common Friends [Page 7] and common Enimies to both Nations, and taken off a great part of those Difficulties, which at the first (notwithstanding the Union in Obedience to One Soveraign) stood in the way. His Majesty well hopes, that what is yet wanting to the perfecting of it, may be now accomplish'd, And therefore, in His Majesties Name, I do most heartily recommend this great work unto you; and I doubt not, but you will speedily send such an humble Answer to His Majesties most gracious Letter, as may witness how well grounded that Confidence is, which His Ma­jesty hath expressed of you. This day the Parlia­ment of England meets, and the King will both Him­self, and by His Lord Keeper make the like Propo­sals (as to the Union) unto both Houses: And I am confident, that Loyal Parliament, who have all along given such ample Testimonies of their Duty and Affection to His Majesty, will upon this Occa­sion make a suitable Return to His Proposals. What is farther to be proposed upon this Matter, shall be offered at your next dayes Meeting: and the King doubts not but that after the meeting of Commis­sioners for both Kingdoms, those things will be ten­dered to your consideration, in order to the Union, as shall tend to the Honour of His Majesty, and the common good of all His Subjects. These things I was commanded, before I came away from His Majesty to acquaint you with, and I have since, upon another Occasion, received an order in wri­ting, bearing date the 7th of this Moneth; by which I am again commanded, amply to declare His Ma­jesties unchangable Resolution to maintain Episcopal Government in the Church. So having begun and ended with this Declaration, I hope both the groundless Jealousies, on the one hand, and the vain and idle hopes on the other shall be at an end.