The Humble ADDRESS of the House of Commons to the KING; With His Majesty's most Gracious ANSWER thereunto.
WE Your Majesty's most Dutiful and Loyal Subjects, the Commons in this present Parliament Assembled, do with Unfeigned Zeal to Your Majesty's Person and Government, (which GOD long Preserve,) most Humbly Represent to Your Majesty.
That the Passing the late Act for Disbanding the Army gave great Satisfaction to Your Subjects; and the Readiness Your Majesty has expressed by Your Message, to Comply with the Punctual Execution thereof, will prevent all Occasions of Distrust or Jealousie between Your Majesty and Your People.
It is, Sir, to Your Loyal Commons an Unspeakable Grief, That Your Majesty should be Advised to propose any thing in Your Message, to which they cannot Consent with due Regard to that Constitution Your Majesty came over to Restore, and have so often Expos'd Your Royal Person to Preserve; and did in Your Gracious Declaration Promise, That all those Foreign Forces which came over with You, should be sent back.
In Duty therefore to Your Majesty, and to discharge the Trust reposed in us, we crave Leave to lay before You, That nothing conduceth more to the Happiness and Welfare of this Kingdom, than an Intire Confidence between Your Majesty and Your People: which can no way be so firmly Established, as by Intrusting Your Sacred Person with Your own Subjects, who have so eminently Signaliz'd themselves on all Occasions, during the late Long and Expensive War.
His Majesty's Most Gracious ANSWER.
I Came hither to Restore the Ancient Constitution of this Government; I have had all possible Regard to it since my coming; and I am resolved, through the Course of my Reign, to endeavour to Preserve it entire in all the Parts of it.
I have a full Confidence in the Affections of My People, and I am Well assur'd they have the same in Me, and I will Never give them Just Cause to alter this Opinion.
As to My Subjects who Serv'd during the War, I am an Eyewitness of their Bravery, and of their Zeal for My Person and Government; and I have not been wanting to express My Sense of This to My Parliaments, as well as upon other Occasions.
I have all the Reason to Trust and Rely upon them that a Prince can have, and I am satisfied, there is not One Man among them capable of entertaining a Thought, that what was propos'd in My Message, proceeded from any Distrust of them.
It shall be My Study to the Utmost of My Power to Perform the Part of a Just and Good King, and as I will ever be Strictly and Nicely Careful of Observing My Promises to My Subjects, so I will not doubt of their Tender Regards to Me.
BY Virtue of an Order of the House of Commons, I do Appoint Edward Jones, and Timothy Goodwin, to Print this Address; and that no other Person presume to Print the same
LONDON: Printed for Edward Jones in the Savor, and Timothy Goodwin at the Queen's He [...] 1699.