His Majesties GRACIOUS LETTER TO HIS PARLIAMENT OF SCOTLAND, May 23. 1672.
WITH THEIR ANSWER▪ AS ALSO The Speech OF His Grace the Lord Duke of Lauderdail, His Majesties High Commissioner for His Kingdom of Scotland, at the opening of this Session of PARLIAMENT. June 12. 1672.
Published by Authority.
EDINBƲRGH▪ Re-Printed by Andrew Anderson, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. 1672.
HIS MAJESTIES GRAIOUS LETTER TO HIS PARLIAMENT OF SCOTLAND, May the 23d. 1672.
THe constant Proofs We have had of your Loyalty and Zeal for our Service in your former Sessions, give Ʋs assurance of the continuance of it in this, especially since our Principall Designin calling you together at this time, is, that you may consider your own Security, as well as Our Honor and Interest, now whilst we are Engaged in a very Just and Necessary War, against the States General of the United Provinces; And that you may provide fitting Remedies against all Accidents that may befal through this Occasion. We have alwaies been very Tender of any thing which might bring Burdens upon that Our Antient Kingdom; and therefore We propose nothing, but leave you to provide for your own Safety, and Our Honor, by such wayes as may be most Suitable to the Condition of the Kingdom. We have instructed the Duke of [Page 4] Lauderdaile Our Commissioner fully in all things relating to Our Service, or your Advantage; And he can well Inform you of Our constant Affection to, and Care of all the Concerns of that Our Kingdom; And of him We think fit to tell you, that the Long and Great Sufferings he hath endured for Ʋs, and the many and great Services he hath done to Ʋs, have made Ʋs put upon him, the greatest Marks of Our Favor; And that if it were not the Care We have of the Weal in that Our Kingdom, We could not have dispenced with His absence from Our Person at this time, when his Service is so usefull to Ʋs: And therefore from such a Commissioner and such a Parliament, We cannot but expect, not onely a readiness to conc [...]u [...] in all things relating to Our Service, but such prudent Results from this Session, as the Subjects of that Our Kingdom, and their Posterity, may reap Honor and Prosperity by them: And so We bid you heartily Farewell.
Given at Our Court at Whitehal the three and twentieth day of May, 1672. and of Our Reign the Twenty fourth Year.
THE ANSWER OF THE PARLIAMENT Of SCOTLAND, TO HIS MAJESTIES GRACIOUS LETTER.
THe many Proofs Your Majesty hath been pleased to Give of Your constant affection to, and care of, the Concerns of this Your Ancient Kingdom, with the renued Expressions thereof, contained in Your Letter of the 23. of May last, engageth Us Your Parliament of Scotland, from time to time to renue Our Acknowledgments, and the Returns of Our Allegiance, Loyalty, and Obedience to Your Majesty; but more especially at this time, when Your Majesty is engaged in a most Just and Necessary War against the States General of the United Provinces: The Motives and Grounds whereof have been so fully represented to Us by the Duke of Lauderdaile, Your Majesties Commissioner, That we conceive our Selves obliged in Duty, to make this Solemn Declaration of the Sense and Resentments we have of Your Majesties Honour and Interests in it, as well as of what [Page 6] may concern Our own Security: And therefore We for Our selves, and in Name of this your Ancient Kingdom whom we represent, Do with all humble Duty Declare; That as Your Majesties Safety, Honour and Interest are Near and Dear to Us above all things in this World, so we will be ready on all occasions, with chearfulness, to offer Our Lives and Fortunes, in this and every Case wherein they or any of them may be concerned; And in order thereunto, We shall be careful to provide effectually for the Security of this Your Kingdom against Invasion and Intestine Commotions, which the Enemy may endeavour to raise and [...]oment, and so settle the Militia, as that the Forces of this Kingdom may be in readiness, whenever Your Majesty shall be pleased to make use of them for Your Honour and Interest.
Your Majesty will receive more prticular Accounts of Our proceedings from Your Commissioner, whose Eminent Sufferings and Services for Your Majesty and Your Royal Father of Blessed Memory have justly recommended him to these greatest Marks of your Royal Favour, which Your Majesty has most worthily conferred upon him; And experience of whose Usefulness in the former Sessions of Parliament, hath rendred his presence so necessary, for carrying on Your Majesties Service here at this time, That we are confident by his Grace's Assistance and conduct, the Results of this Session shall prove for the advancement of Your Majesties Honour, and the Security, Peace, and Quiet of this Your ancient Kingdom. And this We have ordered to be Signed by Your Majesties Chancellor, in Name of,
THE SPEECH Of His GRACE The Lord Duke of LAƲDERDAILE, HIS MAJESTIES High COMMISSIONER for His Kingdom of SCOTLAND, at the Opening of this Session of Parliament, June the 12th. 1672.
BY the Kings Gracious Letter you see, he hath again sent me hither to have the Honour to serve him in this Station; and in this Letter His Majesty hath been pleased, so fully and so Gratiously to repeat the great sense he hath of your Loyalty and Zeal for his Service in your former Sessions, together with his confident assurance of the continuance of it now also, that I shall not offer to enlarge what you have heard better exprest under his own Royal hand: Yet seeing the Kings principal Design in calling you now together is, That you may seriously consider his Honor and Interest, and your own Security (which are indeed inseparable) and that you may effectually provide for both, against all accidents, during this so just, so necessary, and even so unavoidable a War into which he is Ingaged; It hath pleased His Majesty to command me to acquaint you with that Grounds and Motives of it. I need not put you in mind how soon after his Happy Return, His Majesty made it his Work to settle Peace, and establish a good Correspondence with all his Neighbours, and particularly with the States General of the United Provinces; he could not forget their early complyance with a pretended Ambassador from those, who gave their Authority for the Murder of [Page 8] h [...]s Royal Father; not how after Worcester they omitted a Proclamation against Forreign Princes coming into their Countrey without leave; he well knew whom they meant; neither forgot [...]e their Barbarous Ban [...]shing him and his Royal Brother; yet he generously Sacrificed his own Resentments, to his great desires of Peace, and did conclude a strict League with them upon equal Terms. This League the King kept inviolably on his part: But in the Year 1664. His Majesty was stirred up by the Complaints of h [...]s People, and the unanimous Votes of his Two Houses of Parliament in England, to a just Resentment of the Injuries and Oppressions of those States; yet that Summer was spent in Negotiations and Endeavors to bring them to reasonable Terms, which proving ineffectual, the War insued in the Year 1665, and continued to 1667, wherein His Majesties Victories and their Losses, were memorable enough, to put them [...]n mind of being more Faithful to their Leagues: But instead of that, the Peace was no sooner made at Breda, then they returned to their usual Custom of breaking Articles. I shall not repeat their man [...]est violations of the Articles relating to the East and West Indies, which are instanced in the Kings Declaration of War; not asist on their protect [...]ng some of the worst of Subjects of this Kingdom, who Printed most Treasonable infamous Lords against the King and his Government, and scattered them here, t [...]ugh the Dutch Ambassadors were called upon to perform the Treaty o [...] Breda in relation to such) but they rose yet higher, even to the scandal of His Majesties Person and Authority, fi [...]g their Towns with abusive Pictures, and false Historical Medals and P [...]ll [...]t [...], some of them by command of the States themselves, which certainly ought to ta [...]se the highest Indignation in the Hearts of all his good Subjects: then they proceeded to another palpable violation of the last Treaty: The respect due to His Majesties Flag [...]n the British Seas is most antient and unquestionable; it is expresly acknowledged in the Treaty of Breda; yet last Summer it was not only violated by their Commanders at Sea, and that violation afterward justified at the Hague, but it was also insolently represented in many Courts abroad, as ridiculous for His Majesty to Demand; Notwithstanding all those Breaches and Provocations, His Majesty patiently expected satisfaction, whilest they ceased not to provoke, and endeavored to engage the most Christ [...]an King against His Majesty, of which they thought themselves so secure, that for above a Year, they threatned the King with it. At length hearing nothing from them, the King sent an Ambassador to them, who after many pressing Memorials, could receive no answer till after he had declared his revocation; Then they offered a Paper to this Effect, That in this Conjuncture, they would condescend to strike to the Kings Flag, if he would assist them against the French; but [Page 9] upon condition, that it should never be taken for a President hereafter to their prejudice: Since the return of the Kings Ambassador, they sent an extraordinary one to London who would not Sign any offer of satisfaction, till he should send [...]at [...] to his Masters Thus finding that no good was to be done by Treaties with them whom no former Obligations, [...] of gratitude [...] can bind, His Majesty hath been forced for vindication of His Honor, and the f [...]ed [...]ity of all his Subjects, to enter into an open War. And I am Commanded to aquaint you how careful His Majesty hath been by good and Honourable Treaties; so to ingaged [...]s Neighboring Friends and Allies, that this War is onely against the States General to bring down their Pride and Insolence, and to secure His Kingdomes against them His Majesty being at Peace with all the World besides. And although it hath pleased God so to bless His Majesties Forces, and those [...] by Sea and Land, that a considerable Impression is already made upon the Enemy, and that by the continuance of the Divine assistance, we may reasonably hope for good success; yet seeing the Event of War, never so just, is uncertain, it is absolutely necessary to provide in time against Forreign Invasion, or inte [...]i [...]e Commotions, which will be endeavored to be raised here by the Enemy, who contrary to Treaty entertain and cherish the most Seditious of the Kings Subjects, and who have ingaged in their Forces both by Sea and Land divers out of the three Kingdoms, contrary to their Allegiance, into open War against the King. Therefore I am Commanded most seriously to recommend to this Parliament, the safety of this Kingdom, in either of those cases. You know my, Lords and Gentlemen, how loth His Majesty hath been to lay extraordinary Burdens on this Kingdom, and how exactly careful, that the Supply granted by the last Session, should not in the least be diverted from the uses for which it was designed. And although He hath no occasion to lay any Burden on you upon his own account, yet he is most assured you will provide such effectual means, as the Forces of this Kingdom may upon occasion serve for His Majesties Honor and [...]rest, and may be a terror to His Enemies, and a security to this Kingdom; and I do leave the Wayes and Means of this so absolutely necessary a Work, to your own consideration
I am particularly Commanded to renew again to you the assurances of His Majesties most constant continuance, in his unalterable resolutions, to maintain the true Reformed Protestant Religion and the Government of this Churh, by Arch-Bishops, and Bishops, whatever Seditious and Disaffected Persons may suggest to the contrary; and I am fully impowered to all such farther Acts, as you shall judge convenient, for the quieting the Minds of peaceable People, and for Curbing and punishing Seditious Conventicles, [Page 10] for preventing the increase of Schism, and by all good means securing the Peace of the Church.
You have certainly been informed of the Little that past at London, towards the Treaty of Union, If you think it necessary you shall have a particular account, and though nothing was concluded, yet his Majesties Fatherly care of both his Kingdoms will appear, and the Faithfulness of those named by His Majesty for this Kingdom, together with their care of the Rights, Priviledges and Interests of Scotland.
In the last place I am to let you know, that by His Majesties Grace and Favor, I am sufficiently Impowered toward whatsoever Laws shall be found fit and convenient for the peace and Good of this Kingdom in all its concerns, so by Gods Blessing, and your prudent care, we may all be confident, of a happy conclusion of this Session of Parliament.