THe glorious body of the Sun doth exhillerate the soul of Man with its light, and fructi­fie the earth by its heat: In like manner, We the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of the Commons House of Parliament, do with all humility and thankfulnesse acknowledge, these fre­quent accessions to Your Royal Presence, [Page 4] do both comfort our hearts, and influence our actions.

Geographers do tell us, The Land of E­gypt is a dry Soile, but made fertile by the overflowing of the River Nylus; and ac­cording to the degrees of the Floud, the In­habitants do prognosticate the fruitfulness of the ensuing year, if it flows to twelve de­grees, it presages a good Harvest; if to thirteen, then more plentifull; but if to four­teen degrees, their hopes are raised to an ex­pectation of an abundant encrease.

Great Sir, your return into this Nation in the twelfth year of your Reign, resembles the flowing of the River Nilus in the twelfth Degree; That year was Crowned with the enjoyment of your Royal Person. The last year being the Thirteenth year of your Majesties Reign, we were made happy in Your Coronation, and by Your Sanction of many good and usefull Lawes both for the Church and State. And now our River Nilus begins to flow fourteen Degrees, we are by the mercies of God in an humble ex­pectation of a great Jubilee. Our Graci­ous Queen is now happily landed, who we [Page 5] do hope, and dayly pray, may prove a suita­ble Companion to Your Royal Person, and ere long a Nursing Mother to this Nation.

If Your Majesty but please to cast Your Eyes upon the Table, and behold the great number of Bills that there present themselves before You, like so many sheafs of Corn bound up and ready to be housed; and will vouchsafe to see how both my hands are filled with no light Presents from Your Loyal Commons; and if Your Royal Majesty, the great Lord of the Harvest, shall vouch­safe to Crown this Day by Your gracious Concessions to our Desires, the world will then see how great a duty Your people cheer­fully pay both to Your Royal Person and Your Government, and likewise how great a Zeal Your Majesty hath, by the faithfull Advice of the Lords Spiritual and Tempo­ral, and Commons Assembled in Parlia­ment, to Settle the Church in her Ancient Glory, and to restore the happy People of this Nation to their ancient Rights and Pri­viledges.

Some Forreign Writers, that envy the happiness of our Government, injuriously [Page 6] asperse this Nation with a reproachful Say­ing, That the Crown of England is only main­tained by the benevolence of the people, which never is granted, but in exchange of some Royal Prerogative.

Great Sir,

We know the strongest Building must fall, if the coupling Pins be pulled out; there­fore our care hath been to prepare such Con­stitutions, that the Prerogative of the Crown, and the Propriety of the People, may like squared Stones in a well-built Arch, each support the other, and grow the closer and stronger for any weight or force that shall be laid upon them.

We cannot forget the late Disputing Age, wherein most persons took a liberty, and some men made it their delight, to tram­ple upon the Discipline and Government of the Church; the Hedg being trod down, the Foxes and the Wolves did enter, the Swine and other unclean beasts defiled the Temple: at length it was discerned, the Smectymnian Plot did not only bend it self to reform Cere­monies, but sought to erect a popular Au­thority of Elders, and to root out Episcopal [Page 7] Jurisdiction: In order to this Work, Church-Ornaments were first taken away, then the Means whereby Distinction or [...]n­equality might be upheld amongst Ecclesi­astical Governors; then the forms of Common-Prayer, which, as Members of the publick Body of Christs Church, were enjoined us, were decryed as Superstitious, and in lieu thereof, nothing, or worse then nothing, introduced. Your Majesty having already restored the Governors and Go­vernment of the Church, the Patrimony and Priviledges of our Church-men, We held it now our duty, for the Reformation of all abuses in the Publick Worship of God, Humbly to present unto Your Majesty, a Bill for the Ʋniformity of Publick Prayers, and Administration of Sacraments.

We hope the God of Order and Unity will conform the hearts of all the people in this Nation, to serve him in this Order and Uniformity.

Next to the Worship and Service of God, We applied our selves to the setling our great Concern, the Militia. We have already, according to our duties, and the [Page 8] Laws, declared the Sole right of the Mili­tia to be in Your Majesty: And now with Your Permission, VVe humbly tender Your Majesty a Bill for the better Regula­tion and Ordering the standing Forces of this Nation: wherein VVe have taken care, to make all things so certain, that Your Majesties Lieutenants and their Deputies, may know what to Command, and all the people learn how to obey.

And because our late Wounds are yet but green, and possibly before the body Politick be well purged, may incline to break out again, whereby Your Majesty may be forced to draw Your Sword before Your Treasury be supplied with money: We have consented that Your Majesty may raise for the three next ensuing years, one months Tax in each year, after the rate of 70000 l. per mensem, if necessity shall so require.

In the next place, according to Your Majesties Commands, we have surveyed the wasted Revenue of the Crown; and in pursuance of our promises, do humbly pro­pound unto your Majesty a fair addition: [Page 9] We considered that great part of Your Majesties Revenue is but for life; and both that, and also part of the rest depends upon the Peace, the Trade, and Traffick of the Nation, and therefore may be much im­paired by Wars with forreign Nations: This put us upon the search of something that might arise within our own walls, and not be subject to such contingencies: We pitcht our thoughts at last upon those pla­ces where we enjoy our greatest comforts and securities, our dwelling houses: and considering even that security is secured un­to us by Your Majesties vigilance and care in the Government; We have prepared a Bill, whereby We desire it may be enacted, That all Houses in this Kingdom, which are worth in yearly value above Twenty shillings, and not inhabited by Almesmen, may pay unto Your Majesty, Your Heirs and Successors, two shillings yearly, for every Chimney-hearth in each house for ever.

When the great Ahithophels of our latter Age had by force ravished the venerable Laws of this Nation, (uno absurdo dato, se­quuntur milia,) then every petty Artist in [Page 10] his way, yea even the very common Beg­gars had the Confidence to offer violence to their Chastity.

We have therefore been constrained to prepare several Bills for the Regulation of Trade, our Cloathing Trade, our Fishing Trade, our Trade for Stuffs, our Trade for Silks; and for the better maintenance of intercourse in Trade, to re-inforce our former Laws for maintaining the High-ways, with some Additions for decency and plea­sure of Travellers

God in his Providence hath determined, That Poor we must have always with us; some are made so by the immedia [...]e Hand of God: others by their Loyalty, Duty and Service of Your Royal Person and Your Blessed Fa­ther: others by their own wickedness and idleness: We have taken care to relieve the first, to encourage the second, and to reform the last.

Nor hath the Case of any private per­son been unwelcome to us; those many Pri­vate Bills that lie before Your Majesty do enough confirm this Truth, That where we found it Just and Honorable, We have [Page 11] denied our helping hand to none that pray­ed it

And now, Great Sir, after these many Months most painfull and faithfull Service of Your Majesty and our Countreys, we hope we shall have leave to go home, to visit our Relations, to tell our Neighbours, wh [...]t great things Your Majesty hath done for Us, what great things (absit invidia verbo) we have done for Your Majesty, and what great things God hath done for Us all; and to pray Almighty God for his Mercy to this Nation, in the continuance of Your Majesties Long and Happy Reign over us.