HIs Majesty taking no­tice of a Speech, pre­tending in the Title, to have been delivered by M ^r Pym in a Confe­rence, and printed by Order of the House of Commons, in which it is affirmed, That since the stop upon the Ports against all Irish Papists by both Houses, many of the chief Commanders, now in the head of the Rebels, have been suffered to passe by His Majesties immediate Warrant; And being very certain of having used extreme Caution in the granting of Passeports into Ireland; So that He conceives, either this [Page 2]Paper not to have been so delivered and printed as it pretends, or this House to have received some mis-in­formation;

His Majestie would be resolved, whether this Speech were so deli­vered and Printed; and if it were, would have this House to review upon what Informations that par­ticular was grounded, that either that may be found upon re-exami­nation to have been false, and both this House and His Majestie injured by it, or that His Majestie may know by what means, and by whose fault, His Authority hath been so highly abused, as to be made to conduce to the assistance of that Rebellion, which He so much de­tests and abhors, and that He may see Himself fully vindicated from all reflections of the least suspicion of that kinde.

YOur Majesties most loyall and faithfull Subjects, the Com­mons now assembled in Parliament, have taken into their serious Consi­deration the Message received from your Majestie the seventh of this instant February, and do ac­knowledge that the Speech there­in mentioned to be delivered by Master Pym in a Conference, was Printed by their Order, and that what was therein delivered, was agreeable to the sense of the House. And touching that passage wherein it is affirmed, That since the stop upon the Ports against all Irish Papists by both Houses, many of the chief Commanders now in the [Page 4]head of the Rebels, have been suf­fered to passe by your Majesties im­mediate warrant, They present your Majestie with this their hum­ble Answer,

That they have received divers advertisements, concerning the se­verall persons, Irish Papists and others, which have obtained your Majesties immediate Warrants for their passing into Ireland since the Order of Restraint of both Houses; some of which (as they have been informed) since their coming into Ireland, have joyned with the Rebels and been Commanders amongst them, and some others have been staid, and are yet in safe custody, particularly the Lord Delvin, and four other persons in his company, whereof one is thought to be a Priest: One Colonell Butler brother to the Lord Minyart now in Rebel­lion, and Sir George Hamilton, all which are Papists: and one other (as is reported) being son of the [Page 5]Lord Nettersfield, whose father and brother are both in Rebellion. The particular names of others we have not yet received, but doubt not but upon Examination they may be dis­covered.

And your Majesties most Faith­full Subjects are very sorry, That the extreme Caution which your Majestie hath vsed, hath been so ill seconded, with the diligence and faithfulnesse of your Ministers, and that your Royall Authority should be so highly abused; Although, as it was expressed in that Speech by Master Pym, we beleeve it was by the procurement of some evill In­struments too neer your Royall Person, without your Majesties Knowledge and Intention. And we beseech your Majestie to take such course, That not onely your Honour may be vindicated for the time passed, but your Kingdom may be secured from the like mischief for the time to come.

AS His Majesty hath expressed a great de­sire to give His House of Com­mons all possible satisfaction to all their just Requests, and a readinesse to rectifie or retract any thing done by Himself, which might seem to trench upon their Priviledges by any mistake of His, so He doubts not they will be ready upon all occasi­ons to manifest an equall tendernes and regard of His Majesties Ho­nour and Reputation with His [Page 7]good Subjects▪ and therefore His Majestie expects they should review His Message of the seventh of this Moneth, concerning a passage in Master Pyms Speech, and their An­swer sent to His Majestie by some of their Members on the tenth of the same, with which His Majestie can by no means rest satisfied.

His Majesties Exception in that Message was, that it was affirmed in that Speech, That since the stop upon the Ports against all Irish Papists, by both Houses, many of the chief Commanders now in the head of the Rebells, have been suf­fered to passe by His Majesties im­mediate Warrant.

THat the Speech mentioned in that Message to be delivered by Master Pym, was Printed by their Order, and that what was [Page 8]therein delivered was agreeable to the sense of the House: that they have received divers Advertisements con­cerning severall persons, Irish Pa­pists and others, who have obtain­ed His Majesties immediate War­rant for their passing into Ireland, since the Order of Restraint of both Hou­ses, some of which, they have been informed, since their coming into Ire­land, have joyned with the Rebells, and been Commanders amongst them.

His Majestie is most assured, no such person hath passed by His War­rant or Privitie, and then he desires His House of Commons to consider, whether such a generall Informa­tion and Advertisement (in which there is not so much as the name of any particular person mentioned) be ground enough for such a direct and positive Affirmation, as is made in that Speech, which in respect of the place and Person, and being now ac­knowledged [Page 9]to be agreeable to the sense of the House, is of that autho­rity that His Majestie may suffer in the Affections of many of His good Subjects, and fall under a possible construction (considering many scan­dalous pamphlets to such a purpose) of not being sensible enough of that Rebellion, so horrid and odious to all Christians, by which, in this di­straction, such a danger might possi­bly ensue to His Majesties Person and Estate, as he is well assured His House of Commons will use their utmost endeavours to prevent. And therefore His Majestie thinks it very necessary, and expects that they name those persons, who by His Majesties Licence have passed into Ireland, and are now there in the head of the Rebells; Or that if upon their re-examination they do not finde par­ticular Evidence to prove that As­sertion (as His Majestie is confident they never can) as this Affirmation [Page 10]which may reflect upon His Maje­stie, is very publike, so they will pub­lish such a Declaration whereby that mistake may be discovered, His Majestie being the more tender in that particular, which hath Refe­rence to Ireland, as being most assu­red that He hath been, and is, from His Soul, resolved to discharge His Dutie (which God will require at His hands) for the belief of His poor Protestant Subjects there, and the utter rooting out that Rebellion; So that Service hath not suffered any, but necessary delayes by any act of His Majesties, for the want of any thing proposed to His Majestie, or within His Majesties power to do.

For the persons named in the Answer, His Majestie saith that Colonel Butler, and the son of the Lord Nettersfield, obtained His War­rants for their passage into Ireland, at His Majesties being in Scotland, [Page 11]which was long (as His Majestie thinks) before the Order of both Houses: His Majestie knowing the former of them to be one who hath alwayes made Professions to His Service, and to be Vncle to the Earle of Ormond, of whose affecti­on to the Protestant Religion, and His Majesties Service, His Maje­stie hath great cause to be assured? And the latter being a person of whom, at that time, there was no suspicion to His Majesties know­ledge. For the other, it may be they have obtained Warrants from His Majestie since the said Order; but His Majestie assures the Parlia­ment that He had no intimation of such an Order, till after stay made of Sir George Hamilton, who was the last that had any Licence from His Majestie to passe for Ireland

And His Majestie having since this Answer from the House of Commons used all possible incans, [Page 12]by the examining His own Memo­ry, and the Notes of His Secreta­ries, to finde what Warrants have been granted by Him, and to what persons, doth not finde, That He hath granted any to any Irish, but those who are named by the House of Commons, and in December last to the Earle of Saint Albans, and to two of his servants, and to one Walter Terrell a poor man, they being such as His Majestie is assu­red are not with the Rebels, and much lesse chief Commanders over them. And though it may be, the Persons named by the House of Commons are Papists, yet His Majestie at that time thought it not fit, in respect of their Alliance in that Kingdom, to such Persons of great power, of whom His Maje­stie hoped well, to discover any su­spition of them, the Lords Iusti­ces having declared by their Let­ters (which Letters were not dis­approved [Page 13]of by the Parliament here) that they were so far from owning a publike jealousie of all Papists there, that they had thought fit to put Arms into the hands of divers Noble men of the Pale of that Re­ligion, who made Professions to His Majesties Service, and desired the same. And since so great a trust reposed in some of the Lords of that Religion was not disapproved by the Parliament here, His Majesty could not imagine it unsafe or unfit for Him to give Licences to some few to passe into that Kingdom, who, though Papists, professed due Allegiance and Loyaltie to His Majestie.

And therefore unlesse the first Af­firmation of the House of Commons can be made good by some particu­lars, His Majestie doth not know that His Ministers have failed in their diligence and faithfulnesse to His Majestie in this point, or that [Page 14]His honour hath suffered so much by any Act of His own, as that it needs be vindicated for the time past by any other way then such a De­claration which He expects from this House, as in Duty and Iustice due to His Majestie.