His Majesties most gracious letter to the Parliament of Scotland England and Wales. Sovereign (1685-1688 : James II) 1686 Approx. 9 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2011-04 (EEBO-TCP Phase 2). A46495 Wing J219A ESTC R28731 10749946 ocm 10749946 45640

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 Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A46495) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 45640) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1405:19) His Majesties most gracious letter to the Parliament of Scotland England and Wales. Sovereign (1685-1688 : James II) James II, King of England, 1633-1701. Scotland. Parliament. 4 p. s.n., [Edinburgh : 1686] Caption title. Dated: April 12th, 1686. With: The Parliament of Scotlands dutiful answer to His Majesties Letter (p. 3-4) Reproduction of original in the Harvard University Library.

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 eng Great Britain -- History -- James II, 1685-1688 -- Sources. 2020-09-21 Content of 'availability' element changed when EEBO Phase 2 texts came into the public domain 2009-03 Assigned for keying and markup 2009-04 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2009-05 Sampled and proofread 2009-05 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-09 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

I7 R

HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE royal blazon or coat of arms
HIS MAJESTIES Moſt Gracious Letter TO THE PARLIAMENT OF SCOTLAND.

Publiſhed by His Majeſties Command.

 JAMES R. My Lords and Gentlemen,

THE great Teſtimonies We had of your Loyalty and Affection to Our Royal Perſon and Government at your laſt Seſſion, (in which you not only made an humble Offer of your Duty in ample manner, and ſhewed your Abhorrence of the Rebellion then raiſed againſt Us, and your Readineſs on that, and all other Occaſions to ſtand by Us with your Lives and Fortunes, but (wiſely conſidering how much the Forces which former Parliaments had given Us Supplies to maintain, ſupported by your Aſſiſtance, and bleſſed by God, were inſtrumental in ending that unnatural Rebellion) you gave Us the occaſion by Augmenting your Supplies to add to Our Forces, (and conſequently to your own Security) for all which as We then returned you Our moſt Hearty and Royal Thanks, and conſidered you the Examples to Our other Subjects of Loyalty, Duty and Affection to Us, (as you had been in Our former Difficulties) ſo it ſtirred up in Us an Ardent Deſire of making ſuch Returns unto you, as might every way make you find the Advantage of your Faithfulneſs and Duty to Us.

It is for this End that We have again deſired to meet you in this Seſſion.

We have conſidered your Intereſt as much as Our Diſtance from you could bring into Our Proſpect, and thoſe things which We found proper for it, whether in Relation to Trade and Commerce, or Eaſing ſome things Uneaſie to you amongſt yourſelves, We have fully Inſtructed Our Commiſſioner (with your Advice and Conſent) to conclude ſo, as may be moſt for the General Good of that Our Antient Kingdom.

We have made the Opening of a Free Trade with England Our Particular Care, and are Proceeding in it with all Imaginable Application, and are Hopeful in a ſhort time to have Conſiderable Advances made in it. We have conſidered the Trouble that many are put to Daily by Proſecutions before Our Judges, or the hazard that they ly under for their Acceſſion to the late Rebellions: And to ſhew the World (even Our greateſt Enemies themſelves) that Mercy is Our Inclination, and Severity what is by their Wickedneſs Extorted from Us, We have ſent down to be Paſt in your Preſence Our Full and Ample Indemnity for all Crimes Committed againſt Our Royal Perſon or Authority. And whilſt We ſhew theſe Acts of Mercy to the Enemies to Our Perſon, Crown and Royal Dignity, We cannot be Unmindful of Others Our Innocent Subjects, thoſe of the Roman Catholick Religion, who have with the hazard of their Lives and Fortunes been always Aſſiſtant to the Crown in the worſt of Rebellions and Uſurpations, though they lay under Diſcouragements hardly to be Named. Them We do heartily Recommend to your Care, to the end that as they have given Good Experience of their True Loyalty and Peaceable Behaviour, ſo by your Aſſiſtance they may have the Protection of Our Laws, and that Security under Our Government, which others of Our Subjects have, not ſuffering them to lie under Obligations which their Religion cannot admit of. By doing whereof you will give a Demonſtration of the Duty and Affection you have for Us, and do Us moſt acceptable Service.

This Love We expect you will ſhew to your Brethren, as you ſee We are an Indulgent Father to you all.

For theſe, and ſuch other Matters as We conceive for Our Service, and the Univerſal Good of the Nation, We have ſent Our Right Truſty and Right Entirely Beloved Couſin and Counſellor, Alexander Earl of Morray, Secretary of State for that Our Ancient Kingdom, Our Commiſſioner to you, believing that none will be more acceptable than one ſo immediatly Imployed and Truſted about Our Perſon, of whoſe Long and Faithful Services We have full Experience in every one of the ſeveral Imployments he has been in, and of whoſe Loyalty and Affection to Our Perſon and Service We are fully convinced. To him We deſire you to give entire Credit, as One fully Inſtructed and Truſted by Us, from whoſe Experience and Faithful Endeavours, with your Loyalty, Love and Duty to Us, We have good Reaſon to expect a happy Concluſion to this Seſſion: And you may aſſure your ſelves in general, and every one of you in particular, That We ſhall have both the general-Concern of the Nation and yours into Our moſt particular Regard, which We ſhall expreſs by Our Royal Favour upon all ſuitable Occaſions. So not only expecting your Complyance with Us, but that by the Manner of it you will ſhew the World your readineſs to meet Our Inclinations, We bid you moſt heartily Farewel.

Given at Our Court at Whitehall, the 12th Day of April, 1686. and of Our Reign the Second Year. By His Majesties Command. MELFORT.
The Parliament of Scotlands Dutiful Anſwer to His Majesties Letter. May it pleaſe Your Sacred Majeſty,

WE do return Your Majeſty our moſt humble and hearty Thanks, for the frequent Marks of Your Royal Favour expreſt to this Your Majeſties Ancient Kingdom upon all Occaſions; And particularly, in Your Majeſties Gracious Letter dated the 12th of April laſt: And Your Majeſty may with full Aſſurance expect, That Your Gracious Acceptance of thoſe Services we did You in the laſt Seſſion of this Parliament, will encourage us to continue our Zeal and Firmneſs in this, for Your Majeſties Service, and the Royal Intereſt, upon which, under God, we acknowledge our Happineſs and Preſervation do intirely depend.

Your Majeſties Care of the Trade of this Kingdom (which is, at preſent, exceedingly Decayed) and particularly, Your Royal Endeavors to procure us a Free Trade with Your Kingdom of England, will very much enable us to make theſe Supplies effectual, which we have ſo heartily and willingly undertaken for the Security of the Crown, and Safety of the Kingdom; Nor ſhall the Advantages that can ariſe thereby, be more acceptable to us upon any other Account, than ſo far, as they may be a Teſtimony of Your Majeſties Kindneſs, and conduce to thoſe great Ends.

Your Majeſties Clemency, teſtified in the Offer of an Indemnity to theſe deſperate Rebels, who could have expected Pardon from no Monarch on Earth but Your Sacred Majeſty; And the greateſt Aggravation of whoſe Crimes, lies in oppoſing ſuch Gracious and Merciful Princes, will (we hope) not only convince your other Subjects how happy they are under Your Government, but reclaim them from bearing any further Enmity to it; And to let them ſee how Extravagant, as well as Undutiful, their Endeavours will be, in oppoſing Your Majeſty, and Your Royal Succeſſors, We do again moſt Sincerely and Heartily offer You our Lives and Fortunes for ſuppreſſing all ſuch, as ſhall upon any Account or Pretence whatſoever, attempt, either by private Contrivances, or open Rebellions, to diſquiet Your Glorious Reign.

As to that part of Your Majeſties Letter relating to Your Subjects of the Roman Catholick Religion. We ſhall, in Obedience to Your Majeſties Commands, and with Tenderneſs to their Perſons, take the ſame into our ſerious and dutiful Conſideration, and go as great Lengths therein, as our Conſcience will allow; Not doubting that Your Majeſty will be careful to ſecure the Proteſtant Religion eſtabliſhed by Law.

Your Majeſties Commiſſioner has, to our very great Satisfaction, ſignified to us, That he is fully inſtructed by Your Majeſty, to promote every thing which may tend to the Improvement of the Wealth and Proſperity of this Your Ancient Kingdom; And we hope, that by his wiſe Care and Conduct, this Seſſion of Parliament may be brought to a happy Concluſion; And to Him, ſeeing Your Majeſty has well judged that none could be more acceptable, We ſhall give that intire Credit and Concurrence, and pay that Reſpect which is due to the eminent Character which Your Majeſty has been pleaſed to give Him; And to that conſtant Loyalty and Fidelity with which He has acquitted Himſelf in all the former Truſts and Employments which He has born under Your Majeſties Royal Brother, and Your Self; Hoping that we ſhall give Him juſt Reaſon to report at his Return to Your Majeſty, with how much Zeal, Duty and Affection, we endeavour to deſerve the being Conſidered, by Your Majeſty, as

(May it pleaſe Your Sacred Majeſty) Your Majeſties moſt Humble, moſt Faithful, And moſt Obedient Subjects and Servants. PERTH CANC. I. P. D. Parl. Edinburgh, May 6. 1686.